To Be Broken
by diabolicalrat
Summary: SasuSakuNaru. Two broken hearts; with her decision, one will be healed, and the other destroyed.
1. Prologue

A/N: I do intend to finish **In A New Light **but I don't know when...

I finally decided to do a story about my favorite love triangle... SasuSakuNaru! I'm not exactly sure how long this is going to be. I guess it depends on how many people review and like it. xP

Overall Story Statisticts  
Time Period: Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke are 18 years old  
Rating: PG-13 for language and some sexual references  
Pairings: NaruSaku, SasuSaku

Chapter  
Rating: PG  
Pairings: Slight NaruSaku

Standard disclaimers apply, but shoooot, what I wouldn't do to own Sasuke.

------------x------------

**Prologue: Routine**

Sakura let out a tired yawn and stretched her cramped arms. Pulling gently out of the strong arms that encircled her waist, she leaned over the edge of the bed to see the digital clock, which read 9:30 AM.

_I'd better get up… I have to be at work by ten._ She slid out from under the covers, flinching briefly when her warm feet hit the cold floor. Her body cracked as she stood up and placidly dragged herself to her wardrobe, pulling out a familiar hospital outfit. She then lumbered out of the darkened bedroom and into the bathroom.

Her hand clumsily swatted the wall for the light switch, and flicked it on when found, making Sakura wince. She could now clearly see her sleep-ridden self reflected in the slightly warped mirror. A sigh escaped from her chapped lips as she closed the door quietly. She carelessly dropped the clothing onto the floor and proceeded to strip down to her underwear. It was then that she noticed some bite marks on her lower neck, and despite the fact that she was completely alone in a sealed bathroom, a slightly red hue crawled across her cheeks.

------------x------------

After cleaning up and redressing herself, Sakura emerged from the bathroom and tossed her nightwear into her untidy bedroom.

_I think Naruto's rubbing off on me… not good._

Without sparing it another thought in attempt to contain any trace of sanity that was left, she turned and slowly walked down the hallway and down a flight of wooden stairs that led to the kitchen.

After frying some eggs, the pink haired kunoichi sat down at a small round table and began to eat her breakfast tentatively.

"Good morning… Sakura-chan…" a sleepy voice muttered.

"Hey, Naruto." She gestured towards the counter. "I have your ramen out. Just add water."

Naruto scratched his side. "Alright, thanks…"

Sakura downed the rest of her eggs quickly, and then took the plate over to the counter. "I have to be at the hospital in a few minutes, so I'm going to go. I'll see you later, okay?" She gave him a fake smile and leaned up to peck him on the cheek, but he caught her face and gazed with half-lidded eyes.

"Have a good day… Sakura-chan…" His lips met hers briefly. She sighed and embraced him with one arm before dashing past him and out the front door.

------------x------------

Sakura jogged at a steady pace through the already bustling streets of Konoha, occasionally waving towards friends or acquaintances. The morning sun glistened in her pink hair as it swayed behind her. It seemed like an average day to the Haruno girl.

But it's these kinds of days that you always have to watch out for.

------------x------------

"Sakura-sama, there's a new patient in--"

"Akamaru got into a fight with a cat again and--"

"Tsunade-sama needs these reports by--"

"What should I do about--"

"This guy has a boot stuck in his--"

Sakura grabbed her head in frustration. "Send Shizune there, take him to his usual room, I'll have them done, stitch it up before you heal it, and… pull it out!"

The medics all nodded and returned to their work, only to reveal more questioning people behind them.

_The same questions… over and over…_

"--fallen--"

"--needs some--"

"--how do you--"

"--Uchiha--"

"--dying of--"

She sighed. "Intensive care unit, give it to him, ask Tsunade because I don't know…"_Wait, what was that question?_ She pointed to the male nurse whose question she hadn't completely understood. "Repeat yourself."

He shifted uncomfortably. "T-there's an Uchiha here… he's in the ER… with… um… with…"

Sakura's heart dropped. "AN UCHIHA?! W-what does he look like?!" she spluttered. "With what?! Why?!" The nurse didn't answer quickly enough, so she pushed past another nurse and grabbed him by the cuff of his shirt, pinning him against the wall with her inhuman strength.

"TELL ME, DAMMIT!" she snarled.

"W-w-well he's got spiky black hair and he's about" -he raised his hand a good head's length over Sakura's head- "this tall… a-and he's got a…" His voice trailed off as he watched the medic ninja's jade eyes widen drastically.

Suddenly, he was in a heap on the floor where she had dropped him. The group of nurses watched Sakura charge down the hall towards the emergency room doors.

After a few moments of silence was interrupted by the thump of Sakura's frenzied body throwing open the swinging doors, a female nurse spoke up. "What did he have…?"

The male nurse slowly got to his feet and looked at her with dark eyes. "The bloody head of another Uchiha…"

------------x------------

A/N: Oooh! Cliffhanger! Not really. xD

I know this was short, but it's just the prologue. The actual chapters will be longer. I just want to see if anyone is really interested in this story. Not that it'll even affect my decision to write it or not...

Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 1

A/N: I didn't sleep at all last night, so I apologize if there are misspellings or nonsensical sentences in this chapter. I'm exhausted, so I stayed home from school, and I needed something to do.

Chapter Stats  
Rating: PG-13 for mentions of gore.  
Pairings: Slight SasuSaku, mentions of NaruSaku

As usual, I don't own Naruto.

------------x------------

**Chapter One: A Bizarre Transplant **

As Sakura dashed down the hallway, her pounding heartbeat kept in tempo with the tapping of her shoes on the slick floor.

_Oh god… Sasuke-kun… why are you here? Please don't be hurt… please, please…_

She burst through the swinging doors at the end of the hall to enter the emergency room and tried to catch her breath. After a moment, she took notice of the emptiness and utter silence that graced the normally bustling room.

_The ER? Silent? That never happens…_

Sakura's breath caught in her throat as dark figure approached her from the side. She snapped her head up so quickly that she almost lost her balance.

The statue-still figure was adorned with a jet black overcoat that hid most of his body like a well-kept secret. His feet were covered by open-toed boots that were caked with dirt as far up as she could see. Familiar raven hair covered his head, spiking in the back and covering his eyes dauntingly.

There was no denying it; Uchiha Sasuke was here in all his intimidating glory.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura squeaked. He didn't respond in any way, as if he didn't realize she was there. She tried again. "Why… are you here?"

He took a deep breath, though it was barely audible. "I need you to help me… Sakura. I've been informed that you studied as a medic directly under Tsunade."

"Yes… I did…"_Oh shit… he's hurt somewhere… _"What do you need help with?" She spoke carefully and deliberately, almost afraid that if she messed up in her speech, she'd scare him away.

Sasuke didn't say anything. He jerked his head to the side, moving the hair from his face. Sakura gasped as light illuminated a large, bloody slash. It cut clear from his left temple, across his closed left eye, through the bridge of his nose, and to about the middle his right eye.

"Oh... my god… Sasuke, what happened..?" She stumbled over to him and forced him down into a seat. "Sit down! Let me see that!" He half-heartedly struggled to stand back up, but Sakura sat on his knees to keep him down.

She gently ran a finger along the bone-deep slice. He winced subtly; if he was anyone else, he would have cried out in pain.

_This is brand new… if he couldn't see, then how did he get here so quickly?_

She was startled when he popped open his right eye as if reading her mind. It had been slashed up to the iris, but he could see out of it well enough to get here. She forced it closed with her fingers, knowing that it had to be agonizingly painful to leave open, even though he'd never admit it.

"I don't know what I can do about this, Sasuke-kun…" She bit her lip.

In response, he threw open his black coat, revealing a battered, bruised body and bloodstained clothing. His hand was tightly gripping something wrapped in maroon-stained cloth.

Sakura had a terrible feeling in her gut, and before he even unraveled it completely, she knew why he had come to her.

Sasuke blindly tossed the cloth aside, revealing the severed head of his only remaining kin, which he gripped by the scalp carefully. Blood dripped ominously from the open neck and mouth. "I need you to give me his eyes."

Sakura slid off of his lap and felt the contents of her stomach rise to her throat. "I… I don't know… if I can…"

Sasuke's voice was laced with annoyance. "You're a skilled medical ninja. Don't think I haven't heard the stories about you." She scanned his face, slightly surprised. "This is how Kakashi got his Sharingan, and the person who did it for him was a hell of a lot lower than the Hokage's apprentice."

Sakura swallowed. "H-how long has…" –she pointed to the disembodied head of Uchiha Itachi without looking at it- "…it been off?"

"Ten minutes, at most."

_I can't get out of this…_ "Alright…you have to promise me something, then."

He groaned. "What? I don't have time for this…"

"You have to stay in Konoha… at least for a while if I do this for you," she said, trying to imitate the confidence that Naruto would have had.

"Hn." Hair had fallen in front of his face again, and his expression was unreadable.

Taking this as something like 'I'll think about it', Sakura took him by the arm and led him through the doors out of the ER.

------------x------------

"What's the occasion, Naruto-san?" the gray haired jeweler queried. He had a gentle face that was slightly crinkled by a pleasant expression.

"I'm going to propose to my girlfriend! Dattebayo!" the blonde replied as he gazed through the glass at glistening rings of all different sorts. "…but I'm not sure of what kind of ring she'd like the best."

"Your girlfriend is Haruno Sakura-san, right?" Naruto nodded cheerfully. "Green eyes and pink hair… that's a difficult one to match… but I think I have just the thing! Hold on!" The jeweler hurriedly scooted into a back room.

"Thank you!"

After a few moments, he returned with a dark blue velvet box. "Here, have a look."

Naruto grinned. He took the box and popped it open with his thumb. In it sat a silver band with a bright pink blossom-shaped stone in the center. Small diamonds ran the whole way around the band, glistening in the light.

He gasped. "Oh! This is it! This is perfect! She'll love it, 'tebayo! Thank you so much for your help!" The jeweler smiled. "How much will it cost me?"

He pointed to a price tag on the bottom of the box. "You pay half."

Naruto was ecstatic. "That's ALL? Thank you so much! I owe you one!"

"Nonsense." The jeweler rang up the sale.

------------x------------

"How does it feel?"

"…I don't know yet."

Sakura closed her eyes and sighed. The surgery was done, and she was confident that the eyes would work for him, but morally, this was a disaster. She shifted the cold cloth that covered his new eyes.

"I don't know if I understand your logic, Sasuke-kun." She brushed some black hair from his sweaty face. "These eyes have seen so much--" A large hand stopped her speech.

She didn't have to say anymore. He knew what she meant. Those thoughts had been plaguing his mind ever since he made the decision to come here.

Sasuke let his hand drop. "Thank you."

"…you're welcome." She hated when he thanked her. It brought back memories that she would have liked to have forgotten.

After a while, Sakura lifted the cloth off of his eyes. "Alright… that should be long enough… can you see?"

He sat up slowly and turned his head to face her. Tears pent up from the transplant began to roll down his bloody face. His eyelids placidly slid up, revealing onyx eyes that weren't his own.

"You… never grew your hair back."

Sakura couldn't restrain herself. She embraced him around his neck and felt tears begin to run down her cheeks. He made no move to hug her back, but he did allow her to stay that way for quite some time.

Sasuke closed his eyes again, but they snapped open again when a realization hit him like a ton of bricks. It hadn't registered before, but now that it had, something like excitement began to bubble in his stomach.

_The Mangekyou Sharingan!_

------------x------------

A/N: Sometimes I wonder if something like this might actually happen in the series. It would definitely be strange...


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: Two updates in one day?! Crazy, I know.

That's just how bored I am.

Chapter Stats  
Rating: PG  
Pairings: Slight NaruSaku, slight SasuSaku

------------x------------

**Chapter Two: ****Here to Stay**

Naruto whistled happily. The sun shone brightly down on him, making his blonde hair shine as it blew in the gentle spring breeze. He reached into his pocket and fingered the little velvet box. He let out a content sigh.

_Sakura-chan, I love you so much! Heehee!_

He approached their home and gleefully fished for his key.

_Ramen coupon, no… box, no… paper clip, no… shuriken, OUCH, no… ah hah!_

He whipped the little metal key out of his pocket and opened the door. Toeless shoes slid off of his feet, and he padded into the kitchen.

"Long time no see, usuratonkachi."

Startled, Naruto let out a hardly-smothered yelp and backed into the wall with a thud.

"I don't think it's been long enough for even you to not recognize my voice, though."

Naruto paled. "…it sounds like Sasuke… but I know it can't be…"

_It can't be… he left for Orochimaru… and he said he wasn't coming back… and we couldn't bring him back… and… am I losing my mind?!_

"Naruto… it is," Sakura said calmly. "Sasuke-kun came back…" She approached him from the adjacent doorway.

"Sakura-chan?! What's going on here?!"

"She just told you, dobe," Sasuke snapped. He appeared behind Sakura, towering over her by at least a foot.

Naruto looked sick. He studied his once-best friend while clutching his head. His mouth was as dry as a desert, but he managed to rasp out one question: "Why is the teme… wearing my clothes?" And with that, he passed out on the floor.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Because mine were destroyed, and, unfortunately, yours fit." He nudged Naruto's limp body with his foot.

"Sorry… I think we just surprised him a little," Sakura said as she hauled her boyfriend off of the floor and took him to the living room where she plopped him down on the couch unceremoniously. Sasuke followed behind her quietly.

They sat in silence for a while, until Sakura decided to make dinner for the three of them, leaving Sasuke to watch Naruto lie unconsciously.

_Well… he's a little taller… but really, he doesn't seem all that much different from… before._ He closed his eyes, reminiscing about their times as Team 7.

A small smile broke through Sasuke's stoic demeanor.

------------x------------

He was unsure of how much time went by, but he was shaken out of his thoughts by a concerned looking Naruto.

"What happened to your face, teme?"

"Itachi." Sasuke couldn't help but smirk. "I fought with him… and I killed him."

Naruto couldn't believe his words. "R-really? So that means… you really are staying?" Sasuke nodded. "This is so great!"

He shook the smirk off of his face and narrowed his eyes. "I'm only staying because I'm in debt to Sakura."

Naruto blinked. "…that's why? That's the only reason why?"

"Yes."

Naruto looked down. "She healed you after your battle, right?"

"Hn."

"Then I challenge you to a spar." Sasuke glanced at him questioningly. "One-on-one."

Sasuke smirked. "That's what I thought you'd say. You know you'll lose again, dead last."

Naruto rose to his feet and hauled Sasuke up with him. "You don't know me anymore! I'll kick your ass, dattebayo!"

"Nobody's kicking anybody's ass right now." Sakura had entered the room. "Naruto, can I talk to you privately for a minute?" Grudgingly, he offered her a curt nod and he trotted past her into the kitchen. "Sasuke-kun, dinner will be ready in a few minutes. I'll call you then." He, too, nodded, and she retreated to the kitchen.

------------x------------

"What happened? How did you get him to stay?" Naruto quizzed Sakura frantically.

"Calm down, first off." Naruto sighed. After a momentary pause, she continued. "I… replaced his eyes for him."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"He brought me Itachi's… head and had me… give him his eyes, since Sasuke's own had been damaged…" Sakura shuddered at the gruesome memory.

"So you mean those eyes are Itachi's?" She nodded in response.

_That alone makes for a very unnerving situation…_

"And I told him that in return he had to stay in Konoha for a while… and he agreed."

"That's what he told me… did you take him to see the Hokage?" He wrapped an arm around her shoulders comfortingly.

"No… he made me promise I wouldn't while on the way home…"

Naruto sighed. "So are we just going to hide him here for now?"

"I guess so."

"…is that all you wanted to talk about?"

Sakura plastered a fake smile onto her face. "Yep. I should finish dinner now. It'll be ready in a few!" She whirled around to the counter.

He stared at her back morosely. "I have to use the bathroom… I'll be out in a bit."

------------x------------

_It's selfish of me, I know, but… I'm not so sure that I'm happy about Sasuke being back._

_Just when I thought everything was going my way… just when I'm about to be the hero, the center of attention… he just waltzes back into our lives and steals my thunder…_

_I know Sakura-chan cares about him, but just how deep does that feeling run? Is it deep enough to tear her away from me? Does she love me more than him, or vice versa?_

_This morning, I was sure that she would choose me over anyone else._

_I guess I was just lying to myself._

…

_I've heard her moan his name in her sleep when I'm holding her. She doesn't know I've heard her. I wonder what she'd say if she did._

------------x------------

_I never would have thought that today would be the day that my life changed like this._

_I didn't know when I was thirteen, either._

_Why can Sasuke-kun single-handedly do this to me over and over? Why do I love him so much? Why do I care if he's dead or alive? After all he's done to us, I should hate him._

_But I don't._

_I can't._

_I never will._

_And I'm worried about him and those eyes._

_But I guess it doesn't matter what I feel about him, because he'll never feel anything for me. And I can't do this to Naruto. After all he's done for me… he deserves better than that._

…

_Oh, Sasuke-kun… Naruto…_

------------x------------

_Mangekyou Sharingan… is it possible that you have been carried into me along with my brother's eyes? What kinds of things could I achieve with that kind of power? And what if I could combine it with the Cursed Seal? It would be the ultimate jutsu!_

…

_I never would have thought Sakura and Naruto would end up together._

_Not that it matters. It just seemed unlikely.  
_

_I can sense some jealousy… maybe even some hate towards me emanating from Naruto. I can't help but be amused. If he thinks I want his girlfriend, maybe I ought to play along…_

_Hn. Dobe._

…

_Sakura… out of curiosity, just who do you love more?_

------------x------------

That night, the former members of Team 7 ate in silence.

------------x------------

A/N: I think that's it for the day. xD I don't know when I'll update again, but I like this story so it'll probably be soon...


	4. Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry, this one's a little shorter than the others. I've been really busy today.

I have a lot of good ideas for this story, so I have a hard time keeping them from making an appearance too early. xD

Thank you to my reviewers for taking their time to tell me what they think. I really appreciate it.

Chapter Stats:  
Rating: PG/PG-13 (Not exactly sure xP)  
Pairings: NaruSaku

------------x------------

**Chapter Three: A Proposal **

Despite the many inner conflicts that Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke were facing, the arrangement went surprisingly well for the next few weeks.

Sakura went to work every morning and came back home late at night to be greeted by Naruto's smiling face and a cup of steaming ramen. After the ramen was eaten, she would accompany Sasuke on his evening walk through the forest, whether he liked it or not.

Naruto and Sasuke spent much of their daytime hours sparring and training, in secret of course, slowly repairing the bond that had been severed six years before. The friendship they shared was a great one, albeit strange, and even the Uchiha couldn't deny it.

Unfortunately, friendship wasn't the only thing growing stronger between them.

------------x------------

A messenger hawk flapped stoically and perched itself on the windowsill. The blonde was the first to see it there, and he snatched it off of the bird's leg haphazardly, causing it to whirl around and bite him on the nose.

"YEOW! STUPID BIRD!" He swung a hand to smack the hawk, but it had already flown away. He mumbled inaudible curses as he opened the message and began to read.

"What does it say, Naruto?" Sakura said cheerfully.

As he read on, Naruto's face darkened. "I have a mission to go on…"

"To where?"

"Water Country. It's an interrogation mission," he said gloomily. "It'll probably take a few days, minimum."

"Oh." Sakura looked down. _I have to be here… alone with Sasuke-kun?_ "When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow morning."

_Shit…_

------------x------------

After the moon had claimed the sky, Naruto and Sakura had retreated to their bedroom. They sat beside each other on the bed in unusual silence, both wrapped up in their own thoughts.

"Sakura…" Naruto said quietly.

"Yeah?" She looked at him with clouded jade eyes.

Naruto let out a sigh. "This isn't how I wanted to do this, but…" He kissed her on the cheek, and then slid off the bed and onto the floor, kneeling on one knee and facing Sakura. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a velvet box, which he popped open and held up to her.

"Naruto?" Sakura was taken aback. Was he about to do what she thought?

"Will you… marry me?" His azure eyes twinkled softly in the light of the moon.

Sakura bit her lip. "I… I…"

His face sunk. "…I didn't think--"

"Yes. I will." Sakura took the ring from the box and slid it onto her finger. "This ring… it's beautiful."

Naruto gasped slightly. A soft smile spread across his face as he stood up and pulled her into a hug. "Thank you, Sakura-chan… I love you." He then leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. They fell back onto the bed together.

This kiss eventually deepened, their tongues intertwining.

The couple stayed that way, wrapped in each other's arms, until sleep claimed them both.

------------x------------

_Leaving here is difficult, and not just because I'll miss Sakura-chan._

…

_Even though he's my best friend, I don't trust that teme._

------------x------------

When Sakura awoke, Naruto was long gone, and a cold indent in the sheets was all that was left.

She sat up tiredly and rubbed her head. _I have today off…_

_Was saying yes a good idea? _She absent-mindedly fingered the ring he had given to her.

After using the bathroom and getting dressed, she headed downstairs to make some breakfast and to wake Sasuke.

Unfortunately, he was nowhere to be found.

_Did somebody find him? No… I'm certain he left on his own… but where would he go?_

…

_Training grounds._

------------x------------

Sakura had an ominous feeling in the pit of her gut as she approached the black haired Uchiha from behind. He was facing a target dummy with his hands at his sides, simply standing there. Sakura was about to open her mouth and ask him what he was doing, when he lifted his head spoke.

"Amaterasu!"

In a flash, the dummy had been ignited in roaring black flame, and disintegrated in mere seconds, its ashes blowing away in the breeze.

Shocked, Sakura ran to Sasuke's side. "Sasuke-kun, what was…?"

Her words were caught in her throat when he shifted his head enough for her to see two strange Sharingan spinning in his eyes.

"Sakura…" The red faded to black, and he turned to face her completely.

"So… the Mangekyou did come with your brother's eyes… such immense power…" _How terrifying._

He nodded. "Let's go back. I'm hungry." With that, he began to walk away.

Annoyed by his lack of explanation and curtness, Sakura huffed and stomped after Sasuke.

------------x------------

They ate their breakfast quietly as they always did, even when Naruto was home.

"Naruto did tell you that he was leaving today, right?"

"Yeah." Sasuke bit into a tomato soundlessly and gracefully.

Sakura watched him with a quirked eyebrow. "How can you eat a tomato like that?"

He looked at her strangely. "Like what?"

"How do you bite into it like that without making a mess?! Everybody else gets juice and seeds everywhere, but you just chomp right in and look as stoic as always!" she mused.

He leaned on the table. "Stoic?"

"Yeah!" Sakura laughed.

"Hn. Whatever you say."

After finishing his tomato, he closed his eyes.

Her laughter subsided. "What's up with the serious face?" She picked up her glass to take a swig of orange juice.

Sasuke opened his eyes, and spoke slowly after a few seconds passed.

"Do you really love Naruto?"

Glass shattered.

------------x------------

A/N: I really am a SasuSaku fan... so don't worry, you'll be seeing a lot more of that in the coming chapters... x)

Tah-tah for now!


	5. Chapter 4

A/N: Alright! I finally get to write some SasuSaku! This couple is my absolute favorite, so I enjoyed writing this chapter a lot.

Chapter Stats  
Rating: PG-13 for mild sexual content  
Pairings: mostly SasuSaku, some NaruSaku

------------x------------

**Chapter Four: Love or Not? **

"Do I love my boyfriend? W-why would you ask something like that?!" Sakura dropped to her knees and began to gather the shards of glass that had scattered all over the ceramic floor.

Sasuke bent down beside her and grabbed her right hand, presenting her with the engagement ring that she had accepted the night before. His face remained emotionless.

"Y-yes… I am marrying Naruto… and I-I do love him!" She snatched her hand away and continued her ministrations. "It's none of your business anyways!"

Sasuke stood up and folded his arms. "You're not convincing."

Sakura cradled as much glass as she could in her hands and rose to her feet. She avoided his gaze and proceeded to throw away the shards.

"Why are you marrying him?"

She retrieved a broom and dustpan and began to sweep up the glass. "I told you, I love him, Sasuke… Why do you care so much?"

Sasuke sighed and gracefully took a seat at the table, his inclined his head fractionally, and the opaque voids that were his eyes danced with a smug light.

Noticing his actions, Sakura narrowed her eyes at him. "And what's that look about?" She set the cleaning utensils aside and put her hands on her hips.

"Hn. We're a lot alike." A familiar smirk had plastered itself onto his fine lips.

Sakura was bewildered. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"We both know you're only marrying Naruto for the same reasons I'm staying here right now." His head tilted slightly more. "How amusing…"

"You bastard! I love Naruto! I want to make him happy and I want to marry him! What part of that don't you understand?!" she snarled, clenching her fists.

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do!"

"Who are you trying to convince?" he said smugly.

"…I'm not fighting about this with you! And you know what? Why don't you just leave? You don't owe me anything anymore!" Her face was beet-red with anger.

Sasuke rose gallantly from his chair and took a step towards the furious kunoichi. His face mocked her, and she felt the urge to rip him to pieces.

"Don't I?"

"No! You certainly don't! Now leave me, or I'll turn you in to the Hokage!"

His smirk widened. "What would your _fiancé_ think about that? You do _owe_ him something, after all."

That was it. Sakura charged towards the Uchiha with all of the chakra she could muster balled into her fists. She took a swing for his face, but he ducked, and her knuckles met nothing but air. She retracted her fists and took another shot, missing his shoulder by a fraction as he scooted away, his face remaining amused.

"DAMN YOU SASUKE!" She turned and aimed another punch at his head, which was caught with great ease. "LET GO OF ME, ASSHOLE!"

"Never."

Suddenly, a very strange feeling swept over Sakura. Her mind became blurred and all thought processes halted. Her monstrously strong arms dropped and swung uselessly at her sides. Standing became difficult as everything around her was swallowed away into nothingness.

And all that was left…

…was Sakura and Sasuke's kiss.

------------x------------

_**Flashback…**_

"_Sakura-chan… I need to ask you something," Naruto murmured into her ear as he held her body to his under the covers of their bed._

"_Hai… Naruto?" Sakura turned her head to regard his face._

_He inhaled deeply, and exhaled, blowing hot breath across the bridge of her nose. "Do you love me?"_

_She smiled gently. "Of course I do, silly."_

_He held her closer. "No, no, I mean… do you love me… more than anyone else?"_

_She hesitated. "What do you… mean?"_

"_I mean… that guy… you love me more than him, right?"_

"_Y-yeah, of course I do."_

"_Are you sure…?" He nuzzled his head into the back of her neck._

"_Yeah… I'm over Sasuke…"_

------------x------------

As his tongue explored her mouth and her hands ran through his coarse black hair, Sakura realized that she had lied to her fiancé.

------------x------------

Naruto gazed at the cloudy sky tiredly. He shifted his pack and huffed.

_I wish I was at home… with Sakura-chan…_

"Oy, Naruto, keep up the pace," a male voice said. "Hinata and I don't exactly love the idea of being here, either."

Naruto scoffed. "Shut up, Kib—AYEEEE!" Thud.

Kiba sighed. "Did you fall in _another_ trap, idiot?" Akamaru barked, annoyed.

Hinata walked over to the gaping pit that her teammate had dropped into. "N-need some h-help, Naruto-kun?" She offered him a hand, but he had already climbed up and hopped out, completely ignoring the timid girl's actions.

"Kiba, how much further do we have to go?"

"At least another day's worth of walking, I think…"

Naruto groaned.

------------x------------

_Naruto's kisses are sweet and tender… so innocent… so controlled…_

_It's like he's trying to show me how much he cares…_

…

_But Sasuke…_

…_his kisses are wild and passionate… ravaging… dominating…_

_And he shows me how much he wants me…_

_His love bites are far more painful than Naruto's… he bites over the marks that he had left on me… claiming me for himself and mocking that poor boy…_

_I feel as though the afternoon sun that glares through the window onto us persecutes me… reminding me I'm wrong… shaming me for my actions…_

…

_But right now, as I am pinned between a wall and this man…_

…_I don't really care._

------------x------------

A/N: Do you think anyone was really OOC? I'm not sure. xD

SASUSAKU FTW! x33333333  
To be honest, I'd like for Sakura to just tell Naruto to get lost, but that wouldn't be very much of a story, now would it?  
Don't worry, I won't let you down. NaruSaku vs SasuSaku is just getting started...

Ehem, anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review!

Ja ne!


	6. Chapter 5

A/N: Good day, lovely readers. x3 First off, thanks a lot for the reviews. They really do make a difference, all of them... they make me more eager to write. Seriously.

A quick note, though... please know that this IS a love triangle story, meaning that Sakura IS going to cheat on Naruto sometimes, no matter how immoral it is. I mean... it wouldn't really make sense if she didn't... (plus she totally belongs with Sasu! xD)

Chapter Stats  
Rating: PG-13, just to be safe.  
Pairings: SasuSaku

I didn't post this in a few other chapters, but let me make it perfectly clear that I DO NOT OWN NARUTO.

------------x------------

**Chapter Five: A Fortune Teller**_  
_

_Thump, thump. Thump, thump. Thump, thump._

_His heart sounds so… soft… so unlike him…_

Sakura's ear was pressed firmly against Sasuke's muscular chest through his open white shirt. Her arms had wrapped around his back and pulled him closer, a gesture which he returned gratefully. She straddled his lap, and he sat on the couch; how and when they had gotten there from the kitchen, neither were certain.

_I feel so crazy even now… what would… all-out sex be like?_

She turned her head gently to look up at his face. Sasuke's eyes were shut, and his expression was calm. Sakura pressed a kiss to his jawline, and he opened his eyes and looked at her intently before capturing her lips.

He pulled away after a moment. "Sakura…"

"Yeah, Sasuke-kun?"

"Do you… love Naruto?"

Her heart sank. She hadn't really thought about it this way before, but…

…_she was cheating on her boyfriend with his best friend…_

_Cheater._

_Liar._

_Two-timer._

_All around… bitch!_

She pulled herself closer to Sasuke. "I don't know…"

_Hide me…_

He smirked. "You're a liar."

Sakura just buried herself deeper still into his chest. He ran a hand through her pink hair with something like compassion.

"Do you love me, Sakura?"

She jerked her head up suddenly. _Do I love him? I… I…_

He watched her eyes carefully as she searched for the answer in her mind. _Heh._

"I..." She smiled sadly. "I guess always have…"

And they kissed again.

------------x------------

_Stupid Kiba. Why are we even here?_

Naruto glared at the dog man, who was a few feet away, chatting with a group of people.

_I just want to get this mission over with… but we had to stop for this festival…_

Normally, Naruto would have been the life of the party as usual, even with a crowd that he didn't know personally, but today was different. He just wanted to go home.

"Naruto-kun… look…" Hinata tugged at his sleeve and pointed. He lifted his eyes to see a colorful tent with the words, "FORTUNE-TELLING AND ALL-SEEING PSYCHIC HERE, CHEAP!" embroidered on the canvas.

"A… fortune telling psychic?" he asked.

Hinata nodded shyly. "Please come with me…"

He contemplated it for a moment. "Alright… nothing else to do, 'tebayo… but that's not exactly a catchy phrase…"

------------x------------

Sakura arched her back and stretched out, numerous bones and joints cracking and popping under the tension. _I sat that way too long…_

She glanced at the doorway that Sasuke had passed through just moments before to leave the room. _Where was he going?_

The soft sound of water on skin and fiberglass began to echo through the house. _He's taking a shower?_

"Ugh…" The troubled girl slumped back onto the couch, this time alone and free to lie in a defeated position as she sifted through the thoughts of her current predicament.

_I need to think about this rationally._

_Okay… let's see. First, I must state the problem._

_Problem: I'm engaged to Naruto, whom my feelings are unclear for… and I'm in love with Sasuke-kun, who just so happens to be Naruto's best friend._

_Damn… that sounds even worse when you say it like that!_

_Umm… okay… what are my options?_

_Ehem…_

_One: Marry Naruto; forget about Sasuke-kun… even take him to Tsunade._

_Oh hell no! That's so not happening…_

…

_Two: Go with Sasuke-kun… and leave Naruto._

_How could I be so bluntly mean to him? He's done so much for me…_

…

_SHUT UP, INNER SELF!_

…

_Three: Leave both of them. In fact, leave Konoha and move to Alaska._

_No comment._

…

_Four: Continue with plans to marry Naruto… and continue seeing Sasuke-kun when he's not home…_

Sakura groaned. _This is worse than I thought…_

------------x------------

The tent smelled strongly of incense and cigarettes, causing Naruto to wrinkle his nose in protest. Hinata kept her composure, despite her urge to cover her face with her shirt. Darkness shrouded around them, and Naruto kept a hand on her arm as to not be separated from her.

"Welcome… Uzumaki Naruto… Hyuuga Hinata…" a raspy voice growled. "Come… come sit down with me…"

A dim light began to emanate from suddenly lit candles on a small table with a crystal ball sitting at its center. An old woman with long, tangled hair and a dark pink shawl sat precariously behind it, her bony fingers caressing the ball.

Naruto grinned. "So you know us, huh? Are you that good, or are we just famous, dattebayo?!"

_Naruto-kun… that was a bad joke…_ Hinata felt slightly humiliated for the blonde.

"Heheh… sit please, and we'll begin…"

The ninjas did as they were told. "This better be good… that 'cheap' sign out front was totally deceiving…"

The woman cackled. "Naruto… you're a very interesting person… son of Namikaze Minato…"

Naruto flinched._Alright… maybe this lady knows what she's talking about…_

"There is… something you want to know in particular… Naruto…" she said mockingly.

"Yeah… there is, actually."

She laughed again. "Your fiancée… your potential wife… heehee… you want to know… what is to happen, between her… and… a dark man…"

Naruto lowered his gaze from the woman to the crystal ball, which was now whirling and colorful underneath her touch.

"This dark man… he's like your brother… but more like a serpent… such terrifying eyes he has..."

Naruto nodded.

_Sasuke? _Hinata bit her lip._ I thought he had left Konoha… Sakura hasn't seen him in years… has she?_

"And… your lovely girl… she's in love… very much so… with--"

The old lady began to laugh but erupted into wheezes and hacks instead.

------------x------------

A/N: Fortune tellers creep me out. xD

I have one more final to take tomorrow... so there should be more updates coming soon, since I won't have to worry about tests as much!

Adios!


	7. Chapter 6

A/N: Yay for weekends! Yay for no more finals! And SUPER YAY for getting an A on my Honors Chem final! -pats self on back-

This one should be more eventful than the last one. Plus it's pretty long.

Chapter Stats  
Rating: PG-13 for mild sexual references and mild gore  
Pairings: SasuSaku

Naruto is Masashi Kishimoto's. And I'm obviously not Masashi Kishimoto.

------------x------------

**Chapter Six: Change in Plans**

"Whoa, are you okay?!" Naruto flopped to his knees to examine the fortune teller, who had collapsed to the ground from her chair in a coughing fit. Hinata kneeled beside him, biting her lip.

He looked to her strangely. "What's going on with her, 'tebayo?" She shrugged helplessly in response.

The coughing went on for a few minutes. Hinata let go of the breath she didn't know she was holding as it eased up.

_Today… is so strange… I'm almost afraid for what might happen next._

Naruto helped the lady sit up. "Now… could you please tell me… who Sakura loves?"

Her face contorted with thought for a moment. "Naruto…" She gave him a disdainful look. "You cannot give her what she wants…"

His eyes darkened. "So… she doesn't love me?"

She smirked. "Haha… I never said that… no… never said that…"

"So… what do you mean?"

"I… I must sleep now… must…" And with that, the old lady slumped to the floor in slumber.

"What the hell!" Naruto threw his hands into the air. "Who freakin' does that?! Dattebayo!" He walked to the opening from which they entered the tent. "Come on, Hinata!"

She hurried to catch up with him as he forcefully took his money back from the man at the entrance. "What a waste of my time!"

Hinata wondered if, underneath his boisterous and strong exterior, the old lady's words had really scared him…

------------x------------

Sakura had nearly dozed off on the couch when she was abruptly awakened by a rattle at the door. She flopped herself off of the squishy furniture and dashed to the door, slamming it open roughly.

"WHAT DO YOU—Lee-san?" She blinked, confused. "Why are you here?"

"Oh! U-um hello, Sakura-san! I know Naruto's out of town so I thought I'd come over and… you know… check up on you… and…" He smiled feverishly, but as he examined her, his smile faded into a confused twist. "Why do you have so many bruises, Sakura-san? You look battered. Did you get into a fight?"

Her breath caught in her throat. _Bruises? Oh God…_

"No, no, of course not… You know what? I'll be right back, Lee! Wait here, okay?" She dashed away from the door and down the hallway without waiting for a reply.

She frantically burst through the bathroom door, not contemplating the reason it was shut in the first place, and rushed to the mirror, nearly impaling herself on the sink counter in the process.

"What the hell, Sakura?" Startled, Sakura jumped onto said counter and backed up against the mirror in a defensive stance.

Sasuke was stark naked and staring at her awkwardly from the other side of the room. She felt her face begin to take on the hue of a beet, and she slid down off of the counter.

"I-I'm sorry… S-sasuke-kun… I was just… Lee's downstairs and… and…" She faced the mirror, partially to check the bruises, partially to avoid his glaring eyes, and partially to avert her gaze from examining his godlike body any more than she already had.

Lee had been right; bruises of many different colors had already begun to polka-dot her skin where Sasuke had been biting and sucking at. While only visible on her neck to Lee, she didn't even want to imagine how many were popping up under her shirt.

She turned to face the Uchiha, who had covered the lower part of his body with a white towel. His raven hair hung in his face, heavier than usual with water from the shower. Water droplets periodically dripped off of his body, making a ticking noise on the hardwood floor.

It was Sakura's turn to be annoyed. "Did you HAVE to make your mark so apparently?! Some of these are too dark to cover with makeup!" She approached him menacingly, and had he been anyone but Uchiha Sasuke, he would have been intimidated by the angry kunoichi.

She poked a finger into his ribs. "I can do without you, Sasuke. I have your best friend... in the palm of my hand." An evil smirk crossed her lips.

He raised a fine eyebrow. "Hn. Is that so?" His face inched towards hers until she could feel his hot breath powdering her face. "Can he really keep up?"

Sakura felt the confidence she had had begin to slip away. "Yeah… he…" _His eyes are mesmerizing…_

"You're lying again…" He began to lightly trace the outline of her slightly ajar lips with his tongue.

"SAKURA-SAN? ARE YOU OKAY IN THERE?!" Lee hollered. "IS THERE SOMEONE ELSE THERE?"

Sasuke jerked back in surprise. Sakura's eye twitched. "No, I'm fine, Lee-san. I'll be there in a second."

She stormed out of the room to deal with the taijutsu master, and Sasuke shook his head.

_Why did I ever come back again?_

------------x------------

"Looks like we'll be getting home sooner than we thought…" Kiba prodded the corpse with his foot. "We can't exactly interrogate a corpse... and he's been dead for a while."

"I'm not complaining." Naruto slumped against the side of a building. "I wonder who killed this guy."

The body was caked with its own dried blood. Slashes ran vertically on both sides from the armpits to the hips, and internal organs were bloated and peeking out morbidly from the gashes.

Akamaru sniffed the shredded face tentatively.

"What is it?" the dog man asked his best friend. He barked in reply. "You think… no way!"

"What'd he say?" Naruto said, only half interested.

"Akamaru thinks that somebody did this with genjutsu… But how is that possible?" He scratched his head. "I guess it doesn't matter, though. We're finished here, so let's head back. We'll stay somewhere overnight, and I think we can be back by tomorrow evening."

Both of his teammates nodded in reply.

_What kind of genjutsu causes physical injury?_

------------x------------

"Thanks for stopping by, Lee-san." Sakura closed the door thankfully.

"He's annoying." Sasuke entered the room fully dressed, toeless boots on and katana sheathed in his belt.

"You have no idea." She ran her fingers through her hair. "Where are you off to? It's nearing dinner time."

"Training grounds… I didn't get to finish training this morning… I'll be back later." He stoically made his way to the back door and left.

Sakura sighed and sat on a windowsill, watching the Uchiha disguise himself and begin to walk away from behind the glass.

But as he did, he glanced up into the sky at a passing bird, which burst into a large ball of midnight black flame, and fell to the ground in the form of microscopic ashes.

Sakura scratched the back of her head, Naruto-style.

_Giving him those eyes… I still don't think that's a good thing._

------------x------------

_Sakura… how do I really feel about her?_

_There are many parts of me that tell me what I've done… what I'm doing, because I have no intention of stopping… is wrong; my Uchiha pride is one of them…_

_But it's so hard to stop once you've started…_

_Even though I'll never say it out loud, doing this to Naruto is… bothersome, but I hate him for loving her first._

_I sometimes wonder what kind of Uchiha matriarch she would be._

_I guess that's a little silly of me._

------------x------------

_Even if Naruto never finds out about us, can I do this to him?_

_He's not home yet… and he won't be for a few days… so right now I have a decision to make. I could completely stop this before it gets way out of control, and nobody has to know… because I know Sasuke-kun won't tell anyone…_

_I don't know what I should do._

_I love Sasuke-kun. I… care so much for Naruto…_

_But I want to be happy, too…_

------------x------------

_That old lady's a joke! I can make Sakura happy. She said so. She's going to marry me._

_At least, that's what I wish I could believe._

_I know she's always had something for the teme. I wouldn't be surprised if she still did. I'm sure he could make her a lot happier than I ever could… he can do everything better than I…_

_If she ever wants him instead, I'll let her go…_

_Ah! What am I talking about? She didn't deny that Sakura loves me, and that's all that matters!_

_Right?_

------------x------------

A/N: Writing characters' thoughts is fun. I wish we could really know what goes on in Sasuke's head...

Sasuke: It's something like this: Kill Itachi, kill Itachi, kill Itachi, kill Itachi, revenge, revenge... tomato...  
Rat: I bet Sakura's in there somewhere too! -evil grin-  
Sasuke: -glare- I'll Chidori your ass.  
Rat: Uhh... -shifty eyes- OH LOOK! OVER THERE! ITACHI!  
Sasuke: WHERE?

-runs away- _  
_


	8. Chapter 7

A/N: I wanted to make this longer, but I ran out of time. I don't know when my next update will be.

I hope you like this chapter. I tried some different things with it. And yes, the first part is a dream sequence.

Chapter Stats  
Rating: PG-13 for sexual references  
Pairings: SasuSaku, mild NaruSaku

---------------x---------------

**Chapter Seven: Differences  
**

_The smell of blood tainted her oxygen as she sucked it in only to choke it back out. Cold beads of sweat ran down her face, dropping onto the mattress soundlessly. Her heartbeat was fast, but soft, as if distant, beating in an unknown tempo. Pallid fingers grasped thin cloth sheets, kneading and rolling them in the palms of her hands. Useless arms and legs, strapped to the wooden bedposts, were bare and exposed to the frigid cold that ate away at her nerves._

_A dark figure stood ominously at the foot of her bed. Strong hands ran along the insides of her smooth legs, making her twitch from the sudden contact. A difference in the sides was immediately identifiable._

_The right side was slow and soft, every touch deliberate and meaningful. Gentile fingers caressed the cold skin and playfully tapped along with an unknown beat as they stayed in a comfortable place just above the knee._

_The left side was rough and invasive, exploring every inch available. It climbed to her rear end and slid back down with razor-like nails tearing all the way, quickening her heart beat and sharpening her breath._

"_Do you… want to be my girlfriend?"_

"_You want this…"_

"_I love you, Sakura-chan…"_

"_I can offer you so much more than that…"_

_The two different voices swirled in her mind as the left hand invaded her and the right hand began fade away._

_Kitsune… with your brightness and love… the touch of an angel…_

_Hebi… with your darkness and mystique… the touch of the devil…_

_So much the same… yet contrasting opposites…_

…_you run parallel lines…_

…_and I must choose one and only one…_

---------------x---------------

Sakura opened her eyes to meet darkness as the tears collected under their lids, forcing remaining sleep to run down her face along with them. A nearby clock chimed three times, and she stifled a sob to hear the sound. Her right hand rested heavily on her heart, and she silently begged the muscle to guide her.

---------------x---------------

Sasuke folded his arms upon hearing the clock chime three. He sat stoically on the couch, his back perpendicular to the cushion he was perched on. He had never slept much, even as a child. Tonight was nothing special.

Most of these sleepless nights were spent on reviewing battle tactics or practicing jutsu, but strangely, he found himself reminiscing about countless nights spent awake with his only sibling. They never did much talking, but their communication was never better than it was during these times.

Sasuke clenched his fists, realizing that the very eyes that gazed into the endless darkness that engulfed Sakura's and Naruto's home had once watched their creators, his parents, die in their own blood, drawn by their own son's blade. He felt the urge to destroy them for all that they've seen, and for all the pain they have caused.

_Tsukuyomi… such a perverse technique shouldn't exist… but am I capable of harnessing its power? I need to find out… I need to try it on somebody worthy._

_But I don't know who that would be._

---------------x---------------

Dawn came and went quickly, and it was nine before Sakura realized it. She sat up slowly, her blankets sliding down her body. She stretched her arms and then her legs, which she swung to the side of the bed.

"So you're finally going to get up?"

She turned her head slowly, her neck cracking loudly as she did so. Sasuke stood casually in her bedroom doorway, fully dressed with a hand on his hip.

Her voice came out raspy and weak, but she had to ask. "Why did you… kiss me yesterday…? Why do you… now… want me?" She had to force the tears to stay out of her eyes.

"Hn." He sauntered towards her with his usual grace and offered her a calloused hand.

Sakura tiredly stared at the extremity, and after a moment, he retracted it. "Do you… really care about me…?"

She let out an unhindered gasp as she was flung into the air, suddenly being lifted by his strong, battle-scarred arms bridal style. "Sasuke?!"

He placed a chaste kiss on her lips then pulled away, giving her a meaningful yet indescribable look, as if to reply to her questions.

"Why now? Why… when I'm already with Naruto…?" she whimpered.

Raven eyes closed briefly. "Too late… is better than never."

She looked away from him. "For who?"

---------------x---------------

Snow had fallen overnight and it blanketed everything in sight. Footsteps from scavenging deer stretched across the front yard in trails. Sakura sighed contently at the calming sight.

She was home alone now, Sasuke being gone to train, and Naruto not yet home. Her mind forced the two away, desperately trying to cover the problem like the snow coated the landscape, however temporary the solution may be. The comfort washed over her as she sipped on hot chocolate.

---------------x---------------

Sharingan swirled violently as its powers were put to use. Sasuke lunged at a snow-coated boulder with his right arm extended, a familiar ball of chakra spinning with a whistle in the palm of his hand. He threw himself at the rock and slammed the copied Rasengan into it, sending pieces flying in every direction as it spun like a drill.

A triumphant smirk spread across his face. _There is no jutsu that I can't master._ The spiral ball dissipated, and he retracted his arm to examine his hand. _What other techniques can I combine with this 'Rasengan'? There are so many ways that Naruto's jutsu can be manipulated…_

He gathered chakra once again and easily spun it into the fox boy's signature jutsu without the need of a shadow clone.

---------------x---------------

Naruto ran as quickly as he could through the snow, which made a crunching noise as he crushed it down with his boots. He could see his delicately cared for house in the distance, and it made him even more eager to burst through the door and be greeted by his loving fiancée and his best friend… _if you would call them that._

He abruptly lost his balance just a few feet away from the front step, and he toppled over into the snow with a _pfut_.

---------------x---------------

The sound of a body falling into the snow alerted Sakura's trained ears. She straightened her posture and listened carefully.

Silence.

She tiptoed to the front door quietly and grasped the cold wood carefully. _It couldn't be..._

Silence.

She was about to slide it open when it was grabbed from the other side and tossed aside, sending her flying in the same direction.

"SAKURA-CHAN! I'm home early to see you!"

---------------x---------------

A/N: Finally, Naruto's back...

Now, my dears, it gets interesting.

Reviews are sweeeeeet.


	9. Chapter 8

A/N: Meh. I _made _time for an update.

Homework? Psh. _Kiss my ass, math teacher. _

Sorry, anyways... I still don't know how long this story is going to end up being. I can only guess at this point. I'm kind of thinking somewhere around 20 chapters should do the trick... but I guess we'll see.

Chapter Stats  
Rating: PG-13 for mild sexual content  
Pairings: NaruSaku

Oh yeah, by the way, if I owned Naruto, it would be called Sasuke. (So obviously, I don't own it.)

------------x------------

**Chapter Eight: Naruto's Ways**

"Sakura-chan!" the wild fox boy shouted as he flung his arms around her. "I missed you so much!"

Sakura smiled weakly and returned the hug with a single arm. "It was only two days…"

Naruto grinned broadly. "I know but… I just wanted to come home and be with my beautiful fiancée before Sasuke stole you away, dattebayo!" He squeezed tighter.

Even though Naruto's comment was meant to be a joke, she felt a knot pull tightly in her stomach.

_You're far, far too late for that…_

She was lost in her thoughts, and before Sakura realized what was happening, she was being hauled into the bedroom by an eager Naruto. He lightly sat her onto the floral bedspread and crouched down to his knees so that he was looking up into her empty face.

Noticing the serene blue eyes watching her own green ones, she turned her head to face the adjacent wall and stared out the window. It was sunset, and the winter sky looked as though it was a water painting, with the various shades of orange and blue swirled together at the horizon.

_Sunset… although beautiful… it signifies an ending… the beginning of nighttime. And this time of year, the frozen nighttime is longer than daytime. Is this some kind of sign? Even though sunset occurs every single day… very rarely is it ever this obvious… and so gorgeous… and I usually don't even notice it…_

"Sakura-chan… are you alright?"

Naruto's soft voice shook her out of her thoughts. He was watching her with a concerned look on his face, and when her orbs met his, he turned them down.

"Do I make you happy?"

She furrowed her brows. "Yeah, of course… where's the sudden insecurity coming from?"

He chuckled slightly. "I don't know… for some reason I was just under the impression that I'm not what you wanted… silly, huh, 'tebayo?"

"Hah. Yeah. That's… silly." She gave him a fake smile, but then hid her face behind pink hair, which Naruto leaned up and brushed behind her ears gently.

"Are you sure nothing's wrong?" Sakura nodded, and in response, he pushed her back onto the bed softly, lying on top of her and leaning into her neck.

She felt his lips press hesitantly against her neck, and when she didn't pull away, he kissed her again and again with light pecks.

_I don't feel anything… why don't I feel anything? His kisses are so sweet and he almost never uses his tongue… and his bites aren't nearly as satisfying as…_

Her heart plummeted as he bit her shoulder softly. _The bruises… fuck._

Sakura grabbed the fox boy by the neck and pulled his face to hers, forcing her lips against his that had been opened to question her actions. She kissed him roughly and passionately, biting his lips and tongue while pulling his hair. Naruto uncomfortably went along with the kunoichi's kiss, allowing her to even draw blood from his mouth, which she leeched from him with a flailing tongue.

_This isn't like Sakura-chan… I've never known her kisses to be so… violent…_

When they finally pulled apart for air, crimson liquid was running down Sakura's cheeks and onto the light pink bedspread. He wiped it up with a cautious hand, murmuring apologies for getting his blood on the fabric.

_I just want to scream at him!_

_Stop being so gentle! … Stop worrying about the bedspread! … Stop waiting for my approval! … Stop apologizing! … Stop with the caution and… for God's sake, take my virginity already!_

_I can't be that blunt out loud, unfortunately…_

_I feel terrible for even thinking like this about him… but… this isn't what I want at all._

_But on the other hand… I can't just hurt him and tell him to screw off after all he's done for me…_

_Sasuke-kun… I hope you know that every time I kiss him now, I'm imagining you… ravaging my mouth, my neck, my entire body with your perfect one…_

_I almost hate you for doing this to me…_

------------x------------

As Naruto and Sakura lay closely on their bed, a dark figure sat silently in a nearby tree, watching them through the glass emotionlessly.

_Maybe I really do want her…_

------------x------------

Sakura awoke to the smell of something burning. Immediately alarmed, she tossed off her layers of blankets and darted out of the room, following the smell through the house. Not surprisingly, the culprit was in the kitchen.

She peered around the corner of the doorway, and her eyes were greeted by the sight of Naruto frantically trying to put out an enormous flame coming from a pan on the stove. The tips of his blonde hair were already getting singed repeatedly, and he was currently swatting the flame with a wet towel.

"Naruto-baka! What are you trying to do?!" A bucket of water was dumped promptly onto the flame, putting it out and soaking its broiled contents, which, Sakura concluded, had once been eggs. "You almost caught the house on fire!" She placed her hands on her hips and glared at the sheepishly grinning blonde.

"I-I was just trying to make you breakfast before you went to work, Sakura-chan!"

She couldn't suppress a groan from escaping from her throat, but it stopped halfway through when she noticed the time on the clock. _9:54 AM._

"Did you turn off my alarm?!!" She grabbed the giggling shinobi by the cuff of his shirt. "I'm going to be late for work!"

In attempt to calm the angry pink-haired teen, Naruto squeaked, "Have you seen Sasuke-teme this morning?"

"No! I just woke up!" Her face was suddenly very close to his. "Why?"

Intimidated by the precarious amount of venom that dripped from her last word, Naruto's reply was a series of meaningless stuttering sessions.

"I don't have time for this!" Sakura tossed the shinobi across the room with her Herculean strength, and then hurried to her room to get ready for the day that she was already late to start.

Naruto sadly watched his angry girlfriend rush away from his current position as a heap on the kitchen floor._ I really can't do anything right for you…_

------------x------------

It was a very busy day at the hospital. Many ninja were coming back with frostbite and pneumonia, and it was up to a skeleton squad of medics to take care of them all. Sakura rushed from room to room, healing patients and checking vitals, while assisting much of her inexperienced help with their patients. By two-thirty, she was exhausted and drained of chakra, and she slumped into a chair in the busy emergency room for her ten minute brake, eyes closed and hands clasped on top of her legs.

"Sakura, could you come here for a moment?" Sakura was shocked to see Tsunade standing in front of her. "It's urgent."

"Sure, Tsunade-sama…"

The Hokage led her into an empty operating room and closed the door quietly. She motioned for her apprentice to sit down, and then did so herself, looking exasperated.

Confused, she sat down. "What…?"

Tsunade's amber eyes met Sakura's. They shone with a dark gleam that she had never seen in her mentor's eyes before.

"Uchiha Sasuke came to see me in my office today…"

------------x------------

A/N: Didn't see that coming, did you?

...nah, you probably did. Oh well.

Review anyways, dōzo. x3 And tell me what you'd like to see happen next, if you feel like it. I'm curious.


	10. Chapter 9

A/N: Oh. Mah. Gawd. If you don't read the manga, don't read the next few sentences... but I just have to put this here.

**SPOILERSPOIILERSPOILERSPOILERFROMMANGA386!!!NON-MANGAREADERSLOOKAWAY!!!!**  
Can you believe how insanely close my idea comes to the manga plot?! Itachi wanting Sasuke's eyes... funny thing is, the whole Kyuubi control thing with the brothers' eyes was already circulating in my mind for this story... How weird is that? The only difference is that in my fic the roles are reversed. I seriously didn't have any kind of inside source or anything... apparently, Kishimoto and I think alike! xD  
**ENDENDENDENDBACKTOYOURREGULARPROGRAMMING!WHEEEE!!!**

I like this chapter. I don't know why... I just do. xP

Chapter Stats  
Rating: PG  
Pairings: Mild SasuSaku

Even though I feel rather like Kishi right now... I'm not him, and I don't own the amazing series of Naruto nor any of its lovely characters!

And without further ado, here's chapter nine!

------------x------------

**Chapter Nine: A Hellish Decision**

"WHAT?!" Sakura nearly fell out of her chair in surprise. "Sasuke…! When? Why?!"

Tsunade looked away from her student. "He came in this morning… we spoke of his reasons and punishment possibilities, which he's agreed he'll take dutifully… but…" She closed her eyes dismally.

The suspense got under Sakura's prickling skin. She lurched forward, barely restraining herself from shaking the Hokage. "But what?!"

"He's… requested that… _you_… choose his punishment."

She shook her head of pink hair and blinked hard. The words didn't register at first, but as they began to sink in, she felt suddenly queasy.

"W-why me?" She struggled to maintain her composure.

"I don't know," Tsunade replied. "Come with me, you need to talk to him."

She nodded her head weakly and rose to her feet, finding it exceedingly difficult to stay standing.

"I know speaking to him will be hard… you haven't seen him for years…"

Sakura bit her lip. _Is there anyone I'm not lying to right now?_

------------x------------

Sasuke leaned against the cold, hard brick in his cell. The floor was grungy and almost made him ache for a shower, but he sat on it anyways, because the bed was possibly the only more repulsive thing he had ever seen in comparison. He rested his head on his knees tiredly.

_I'm going to leave my fate up to Sakura… do I live freely, do I rot here forever, or do I die? After all of the things I've put her through… and all of the things she's done for me… I owe her nothing less._

_Besides, my life is meaningless anyways. Resurrecting my clan can lead to no good… we Uchihas were bred to kill. And that's just what we do._

_Naruto… if I ever see him again, I'll have to apologize to him… for so many things…_

_But yet, I'm not sorry for loving Sakura. I can't bring myself to be ashamed of that._

"Sasuke-kun!"

_Am I dreaming?_

"Uchiha-san? We've brought Haruno-san, as requested."

_No, she's really here._

He elegantly rose to his feet, and Sakura stifled a smirk. _Even behind bars, he's perfect._

"Leave us alone, please," she said sweetly to the guard who had escorted her in. He nodded, but whispered something in her ear before reluctantly leaving the teen alone with the onyx-eyed prisoner.

"Sasuke-kun…" She approached his cell slowly. "What did you do this for…?"

He watched her with half-lidded eyes as she pushed a delicate hand through the bars and placed it on his pallid cheek.

"Sakura. I owe it to you," he said, shoving his pride into a box in the back of his mind, despite its angry thrashing to escape. "Thank you, for everything."

She smiled bitterly. "You know I hate when you say those words to me."

Sakura jumped when a cold hand brushed a piece of her hair out of her face. He watched her eyes carefully as he ran a finger along the outline of her cheek and along her jaw line, as if memorizing her features. She inadvertently leaned into his finger.

"So I guess I have a decision to make, huh?"

Sasuke nodded, and retracted his hand from her skin, but her hand remained glued to the side of his emotionless face. She gazed into his eyes placidly, exploring their cold depths, trying to find a glimpse of any feeling at all, to no avail.

"I remember your eyes, Sasuke-kun… the ones you were born with." She began to lightly stroke his cheek. "They were… so much different… even though they were the same color…"

"Sakura, what are you going to do?"

"You always were too serious… heh…" She removed her hand from his face and dropped it to her side. "I'm going to go home tonight and think about it… and I think I'll consult your best friend, too…"

She felt tears rise to her eyes and she lowered her head as to hide them. Her mouth opened to speak again, but she was interrupted by Sasuke's tenor voice.

"I'm sorry, Sakura." She jerked her head up. "I should never have…"

_That's not… he's not…_

_No way…_

As Sakura examined his face, she noticed a very strange haze had coated his raven eyes. His expression hadn't changed, but a tear was undeniably running down his cheek. She watched it with wide jade eyes as it dangled, then dripped off his face and landed on the solid ground with a _plik_.

She swallowed a thick lump in her throat and left without another word to the crying Uchiha.

------------x------------

Naruto stretched his arms widely, and then prepared himself to perform another kage bunshin maneuver.

_I wonder what happened to the teme. I haven't seen him today. It's not nearly as fun to practice alone._

As he multiplied himself and charged toward a block of wood that was being used as his target, he noticed a strange marking on some trees in the corner of his eye. After finishing his technique, he dispelled his shadow clones and approached the trees curiously.

Multiple swirling gashes had been made in each of their trunks leaving the center of the trees nearly blown out of the other side. Naruto scratched his head.

_It's almost like I Rasengen'ed these… but I'm sure I didn't. And nobody else knows Rasengan…_

_Do they?_

He ran his fingers along the curved ridges.

_I'll compare it to my own…_

The blonde stepped back from the tree and swirled his own Rasengan, then thrust it into a nearby unmarked tree. The area was instantly engulfed with brown dust and woodchips, and Naruto kept his eyes closed even after he finished the assault to wait for the debris to settle.

After a minute passed, he opened his blue eyes slowly, and began to examine his own mark.

It didn't take long for the Kyuubi vessel to realize…

_My Rasengan spins the opposite way…_

------------x------------

_His life… what does it mean to me?_

_I refuse to let that man… that nothing-short-of-a-demi-godly beast… waste away in that jail cell._

_If I choose for him to die, I can go on like he never came back… I can force myself to be happy with Naruto… and in time, I'll move on._

_But bearing the burden of losing him… would be… so hard…_

_If I choose for him to live, he can eventually become part of society again… well, as much as he ever was before. I wouldn't have to live with his death…_

_But that would mean that I'd have to choose between Sasuke and Naruto… and I'd live with knowing I broke a heart, whether it is Naruto's pure one or Sasuke's tainted one._

_Sasuke-kun and I think about this decision differently. He sees it as something good… but for me, it's nothing short of hell._

_You would think that the answer would be an obvious, 'Preserve your love's life!' but it really isn't that simple. Not only would his death eliminate this problem of mine, but justice would be served… plus, it would put him out of his misery honorably…_

_I'm going to ask Naruto what he thinks… and I'm going to tell him everything._

_I'm sick of lying to everyone. I can't do this anymore._

------------x------------

A/N: Get ready for some estranged relationships! Woohoo!

Review, hm?


	11. Chapter 10

A/N: Not a particularly long chapter. I just had some things to get through before I unleash the next plot bomb. Haha.

Chapter Stats:  
Rating: PG-13 for an angry Sasuke's use of the f-word  
Pairings: Mentions of SasuSaku

Naruto. Don't own it.

------------x------------

**Chapter Ten: A Night of Tension**

The clock chimed once.

"Where've you been, Sakura-chan?" Naruto said gently just moments after his fiancée walked through the front door of their home. "One in the morning… that's a lot later than usual." He stood up from his place on the couch.

Sakura sighed sadly and closed the door behind her with clammy hands. "Naruto… we really, really need to talk."

"Yeah, we do." He motioned to the bedroom, but Sakura shook her head. "Then where?"

"Here. Right here, right now. I spent this evening walking around Konoha… and I've made my decision." She took a deep breath. "I know where Sasuke is."

"Really? Where, 'tebayo?" he asked enthusiastically, but Sakura's forlorn face did not change.

"He's locked up at the Hokage tower. He turned himself in this morning."

Naruto couldn't suppress a mild grin. "That's out of character for him."

"Yeah… and… he's left it up to me to decide on his punishment."

His grin faded abruptly. "…why you?"

_This is it._

She stared into the Kyuubi boy's concerned blue eyes.

_I'm telling him now._

"Because he and I--"_BANG BANG BANG_.

A loud knock on the door made both shinobi nearly jump out of their skin.

------------x------------

Strong hands clasped tightly on ringing ears.

**Snore…**

_It's just my fucking cursed luck that I'd get stuck…_

**Snooooooore…**

…_in a rancid jail cell…_

**Snore…**

…_beside a guy who sleeps louder than Naruto yells…_

**SNOOOORE!!**

…_whenever I try to do the right thing! GOD DAMNIT!_

"URUSAI!" He slammed his foot down on the floor and pounded a tight fist against the wall for the umpteenth time that night, trying desperately to silence the man in the cell next to him, who would surely be Chidori'ed to hell the moment the infuriated Uchiha was released.

"FOR FUCK'S SAKE! URUSAI, URUSAI, URU--"

"Uchiha Sasuke, if you don't shut your damn mouth this instant I'm going to beat your egocentric skull into dust!"

He turned his head sharply, and was greeted by a night-dressed Tsunade, the only thing illuminated in the dark room. A lantern swung lazily from her arm.

He gazed at her nonchalantly from his lying position on the floor. "I'm trying to sleep here."

"I can hear you from my bedroom. That's five stories up, mind you." She walked closer to his cell. "It doesn't matter though. I wanted to talk to you about something else, anyway."

He rolled over, facing away from the Hokage. "I thought we dealt with all of this earlier."

"I know for a fact that you've been staying with Naruto and Sakura for the past month or so."

The Uchiha froze. "I won't deny it."

"And I also know that you've been… _spending a lot of time_… with Sakura." Her words sounded almost snakelike.

A strange sound came from Sasuke, something like a gasp, and the two remained in silence for some time, discounting the relentless snoring of a soon-to-be-killed man.

Tsunade couldn't take it anymore. She cackled. "You know, that doesn't surprise me one bit. You and Naruto have always been rivals…"

"It has nothing to do with Naruto," he snapped.

"Did it not start out that way?"

The dark-haired teen was suddenly on his feet, glaring at Tsunade through the metal bars, Sharingan activated and glowing menacingly in the shadows. "You don't know anything."

She smirked. "I know that those are Itachi's eyes." The red began to swirl violently. "Relax, relax. I'm just here to talk."

"And what if I don't want to talk to you?" His voice dripped with venom.

"I'll get to the point… I just came here to ask a favor of you." He remained silent, but she knew he was listening as his red-eyed gaze never left her amber one. "Should my student let you live… do not hurt her."

Sasuke's face was suddenly less angry. Tsunade turned around gracefully and began to walk out of the room, her slippers making a sliding sound on the concrete floor as she departed.

"She really does love you…"

In the darkness, Sasuke dropped to his knees as the Sharingan faded to onyx.

------------x------------

"Kaka-sensei?! What are you doing here so late?" Naruto barked. "Why can't you come see us at a reasonable hour like NORMAL people do?"

The jounin grinned, though it was unseen due to the mask that eternally covered the lower half of his face. "Well, you see, I was going to be here around dinnertime, but there was this old lady…" His voice trailed off as he noticed Sakura's unusually pale face. "What's wrong, Sakura?"

"Nothing." Her clouded eyes told Kakashi otherwise, but he shrugged it off.

"I did come for a reason, though… I wanted to know if the rumors were true."

"Rumors?" Naruto asked.

"About Sasuke's return…"

Sakura nodded. "He's in the Hokage Tower…"

"That's what I thought." He ran a hand through his silver hair. "How did you know that?"

"It's a long story…" she said tiredly. "Can we save it until morning?"

Normally, Kakashi would have had a remark for her, but the spiteful gleam in his former student's eyes made him feel like quivering.

He bowed his head. "Of course… sorry for showing up like this…" He laughed nervously. "I'm just going to go now."

The door closed loudly, and Kakashi was gone.

------------x------------

They basked in the silence for a long time, only to be interrupted by two chimes of the clock.

Naruto observed Sakura hesitantly. Normally pretty skin was drained of color, and dark circles were obvious under her eyes. Her posture was crumpled and she looked ready to burst into tears at any moment. He wanted to go to bed like nothing else, but the blonde was afraid to leave the girl for fear that she might collapse, or worse, eat him alive.

"What's going on… Sakura-chan?"

She looked at him with half-lidded eyes.

_I've never seen her so drained of life._

"I think… I'm going to sentence Sasuke to death."

Naruto gasped. "Why?! I thought he was your friend, Sakura-chan!" Her face began to don a green shade. "I refuse to let you do that! The teme might be jerk sometimes, but he doesn't deserve to die!" he fumed, his face framed with fury.

"Naruto…"

"What?!"

Sakura could hear her heartbeat throb in her ears as she uttered the following sentence:

"Would you think the same way… if I told you that I'm in love with Sasuke?"

------------x------------

A/N: Woohoo! Cliffhangers are fun. x3

I promise the next chapter won't disappoint.

Review!


	12. Chapter 11

A/N: I'm glad I could update this soon. I really enjoy writing this.

I don't have much else to say, except, enjoy.

Chapter Stats  
Rating: PG-13 for mild sexual content  
Pairings: SasuSaku, slight NaruSaku

------------x-----------

**Chapter Eleven: Weakness **

_You know that sinking feeling you get when you're falling asleep, and you're just about there, but suddenly something startles you and the ground is sucked out from under you? Your heart drops and you have the urge to flail around and try to catch yourself from falling, even though you haven't left your place on the bed. And when the feeling of descent passes, you're left with a sense of disorientation._

_That feeling?_

_That's what I felt like when Sakura confirmed my greatest fear._

"You… still love… Sasuke?" Naruto said breathlessly. His arms, which had been waving in the air just moments before, hung uselessly at his sides. He slouched back into the cushions of the couch, eyes wide and features shocked.

"I do, Naruto…" Sakura kept a serious gaze on the blonde boy. "I love him with all of my heart… and I guess I always have."

"I…" The shock slowly faded into an expression of sadistic amusement. "I could never keep up with that teme…"

_Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry._ Sakura bit her lip. "Naruto… I'm so sorry…"

He only laughed harshly. "I knew this was going to happen someday." He turned his head to look at her for the first time since her confession. "Does he love you too? I bet he does…"

"Naruto…" _I have to hold back the tears…_ "That's why I'm going to allow him to die."

The boy shook his head, but his face still showed a twisted emotion. "Why would you do that? You two are in love…"

"He's done so much wrong… and for doing this to you…" A tear rolled down her cheek unnoticed. "…I should be put to death too…"

"No, teme always wins. Why would you break his winning streak? Nobody ever does that…"

_Is he delirious?_"Naruto… I want to know what you think I should do, as my best friend." His face did not soften. "If you want me to stay with you, I will. I care about you…"

The hard expression finally shattered when the Kyuubi vessel broke down into tears. Sakura, now crying herself, pulled him into her embrace, letting him sob into her shoulder.

_How could I do this to everyone?_

"S-sakura…" he murmured through his sniveling. "I want you… to be happy…"

Her tears dried up soon enough, but he still cried.

"No, Naruto… what's important is your happiness, for once." She stroked his back with a shaking hand. "Don't… don't worry about me. If you're happy, I'm happy."

He looked up at her with watery blue eyes. "You're lying… Sakura-chan."

"No--"

"Please… be with Sasuke."

_I'm not so sure what I should be feeling right now… but the only feeling coursing through my veins right now… is something like anger._

_As this boy sobs in front of me, telling me to leave him for his best friend, refusing to stand up for himself even when prompted to… I want to scream. I want to yell at him, tell him to fight for me… keep me…_

_I'm tired of being handled with care… like I'm a weakling…_

_Sasuke can give me this roughness… this sense of danger… Naruto can't. He won't._

"I can take care of myself, Naruto," she said, an edge apparent in her suddenly strong voice. She pulled away from him. "I'm making the decision myself. I'm putting Uchiha Sasuke to death, and when that's done I'll work things out with you."

He watched her with wide eyes. "Now, let's go to bed. We have a busy day ahead of us."

Naruto complied silently.

------------x-----------

It was three AM, and Sakura's blood was pumping. Assuming the blonde was asleep, she hurriedly dressed herself, threw on a midnight black cloak that once belonged to the last Uchiha, and departed stealthily.

Naruto felt another wave of sorrow flood over him.

_Sakura… where are you going so late?_

------------x-----------

_I can live without him. I don't need him._

_I'll just keep telling myself that._

As she approached the Hokage tower, its top obscured by night and bottom glowing only with two feeble flames, a feverish feeling began to swim through her veins.

_I don't know what to do..._

------------x-----------

**SNORE.**

Sasuke massaged his temples, thanking the darkness for obscuring his current condition as he lie on his back in the dirty cell.

_I love her… I really do love her… I've never felt like this before. It's… strange._

**SNORE.**

_I wish that I could start over and be a normal guy… and have a normal relationship: take her out to dinner, buy her flowers…_

_These things that Naruto can do for her that I never can offer…_

_I only hope that—_

**SNORE!**

_I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!_

He sat up and furiously thrust a hand through the bars of his cell and aimed a finger at the cell beside him.

"I NEED SILENCE, BASTARD!" He shot a particularly violent streak of Chidori current at his snoring jail-mate, who immediately went quiet.

"I hope you're dead over there, for your own sake!" he hissed.

"Sasuke… quiet…" A fine voice from the black abyss startled the Uchiha, who had been so deeply lost in his thoughts that he had not picked up on her chakra.

"Sakura?" Sasuke activated his Sharingan and was able to see the kunoichi clearly. "What are you doing here?"

"Shh… keep your voice down…" A black cloak with the Uchiha symbol embroidered on the front adorned her figure.

"Why are you here so late?" he whispered.

**Click.**

"Sakura, what are you doing?"

The cell door screeched open and closed again, and he could see her stumbling around, searching for him.

"Go home to Naruto, Sakura…"

She used his voice to guide her, and she came closer and closer.

"He can give you anything you want…"

Still, she didn't stop.

"He can make you hap--" Sasuke was cut off by the impact of her body into his. She sat on his legs, straddling them.

"No, only you can do that…" A soft hand stroked his pitch black hair.

His eyes were wide in surprise at her sudden boldness, though she couldn't see it in the dark. "Sakura…"

He could hear her chuckle lightly. "You're the last person I would have expected to treat me like I'm fragile." Her movement ceased and nails dug into his scalp. "I'm not fragile anymore, Sasuke-kun."

She pushed her body up against his, making sure every inch touched as she pushed him down onto the floor. The Uchiha didn't struggle.

"Please… don't hold back tonight…"

Her lips smashed against his in a bruising kiss of tongue, teeth, and claws.

_Love me dangerously…_

------------x-----------

Tsunade was abruptly awoken by a loud knock at her door. She jerked her head off of her desk and snapped her eyes open, only to wince them shut again.

_Goddamnit!_

"What the hell!" she growled. "It's early yet!"

"T-tsunade-sama! It… it's of the utmost importance!" Shizune's voice announced loudly through the door.

The Hokage got to her feet, staggered to the office door, and slammed it open. "Ugh! What?"

Shizune looked traumatized. "There's something you need to see…"

Tsunade leaned lazily on the doorframe. "Well?"

Her assistant shook her head. "You have to see this for yourself."

------------x-----------

Tsunade was led down through a few flights of stairs and into a familiar dank jail room. Shizune walked dazedly to the third cell down and gestured towards it while keeping her gaze averted.

_Uchiha Sasuke's cell? What now?  
_

The bars of the cell were covered by a spread-out jet black cloak, a familiar fan symbol gracing its center, that had been hung from the inside of the cell as to hide away the contents.

The Godaime hesitantly unlocked the cell door and leaned around the bars.

The sight of Sasuke and Sakura's sleeping, stark naked forms, with Sasuke leaning against the wall with his legs up and Sakura against his chest, her arms wrapped around his neck and his wrapped around her back, greeted her tired eyes. Clothes belonging to both ninja, some shredded, were strewn about the small room every which way, some even making it to the toilet. Blood was spattered on the walls and floor, one such place appearing to be in the shape of handprints.

"Shishou…"

Tsunade jumped in surprise, and whirled her sight back to the lovers, who were both looking at her with half-lidded eyes.

"I've made my decision…" Sakura murmured, her head turned and leaning against Sasuke's neck.

She gazed at her student with almost condescending eyes. "And?"

"Sasuke-kun is to be put to death."

------------x-----------

A/N: You don't know what's going to happen next. I promise. : )


	13. Chapter 12

A/N: I feel like I overdid some things in this chapter... like the fluff. But I really am going somewhere with it all.

Chapter Stats  
Rating: PG-13 for implied sex  
Pairings: SasuSaku

Seriously, I'm not Kishimoto, and therefore, I don't own Naruto.

------------x------------

**Chapter Twelve: The Forgotten Ring**

Clammy fingers manipulated a forgotten band of proclaimed love, since removed from the finger it once rested on. As she sat on a stiff chair in the Hokage's office, waiting for Tsunade to return, Sakura reflected to the night before, when the silver object had been taken off of her finger.

"_Sakura…" Sasuke whispered huskily, looking down on her as he positioned himself._

"_Sasuke-kun…" Sakura murmured._

_The dark man stopped moving and lie against her. He grasped her left hand with his right and began to lick her fingers agonizingly slowly. She giggled, but couldn't help but be confused by his actions._

_When he came to her ring finger, she felt more than heard his teeth collide with a metal object, knowing at once what his intentions were. She raised her right hand and began to push Naruto's engagement ring up, assisting his mouth._

"_Just for tonight…" he mumbled._

_As it reached the top of the digit, Sasuke suddenly began to move his body again against hers. She let out a surprised gasp as he pushed himself into her; in the same fluid motion, he had taken the ring into his mouth._

She had found it on the floor when Tsunade had awakened her this morning, but couldn't find it in her heart to place it on her finger again. Guiltily, she bit her lip and slid the ring into the pocket of the Uchiha cloak that covered her body, since her own were mostly destroyed.

The door slid open behind her, and she stood slowly. "Tsunade-sama…"

"Sakura… sit down," Tsunade said lowly.

Once both she and her student were seated, Tsunade pulled a paper out of her desk and handed it to Sakura.

"What's this?" She read the first few sentences. _Death penalty regulations?_

"Number… one-sixty-six," she said thoughtfully. "Yes, that was the one."

------------x------------

Kakashi observed the familiar shinobi memorial tentatively.

_I had a premonition last night, Obito… Tsunade had died and I became Hokage._ He sighed tiredly. _Could you see me being Hokage? Hah…_

"Kaka-sensei…"

"Hello Naruto," he said cheerfully, not bothering to look at his former student as said teen approached his side.

"Sakura's gone," he said, his normally happy voice laced with misery.

Confused, Kakashi shifted his head to examine Naruto. His clothes were nothing more than pajamas, his hair was unclean, and he looked green to the face.

"What do you mean? Where did she go?"

Naruto didn't look at his once-teacher. "She's still in Konoha… but she's gone from me." Kakashi couldn't help but feel sympathetic. "Even in death, I can't ever keep up with Sasuke."

Kakashi's visible eye widened. "Sasuke's dead?"

The younger shook his head. "No, not yet, but Sakura says she's going to put him to death… since he left it up to her to choose his punishment…"

"Why her?"

"They're in love," he said simply.

This was almost too much to believe. "Sasuke loves Sakura?" Naruto's silence seemed to say confirm it. "Then why is she putting him to death?"

"Who knows…?"

_Sakura, I wonder if you know how badly you've hurt this kid._

_Sasuke, I know you do, but I wonder if you care._

_Ugh. So much drama… I feel like I'm reading a new volume of Icha Icha…_

------------x------------

"Uchiha-san, please--"

"I'll do what I want," Sasuke stated curtly. "Keep your hands off of me."

"But--!" He brushed Shizune off of his arm. "I have to heal these! The Hokage ordered it!" She pointed to the numerous bite marks and scratches that patterned his pale skin. "Some of these are deep!"

"What does it matter anyways?" He narrowed his dark eyes at her. "I'm going to die soon." Shizune gave him a strange look.

He snorted, annoyed. "Didn't you hear Sakura, or are you that useless?"

"You can't be put to death, Uchiha-san…"

"Yes, I can. I've gone through all of the regulations and legalities of it, and it's perfectly legal."

_Then why was…?_

------------x------------

Sakura intently browsed through the list of regulations. "Why do I have to read this?"

Tsunade scoffed. "You don't; just one-sixty-six, I told you."

_140… 150… 160, 164, 165… here, 166, the very last one._

"I had a feeling that you'd have this response, but I found this list this morning." She stretched. "Kinda throws a little wrench in your plan, huh?"

"Number One-Sixty-Six," Sakura read aloud. "The head of any established household, be it the official head or the last remaining valid member of a clan, cannot be put to death through any legal action unless he or she has kin to pass on the household to at the time of conviction." Her eyes widened. "Itachi is dead… so that makes Sasuke…"

"The head of the Uchiha clan, yes," Tsunade said. "so we're stuck with him unless someone illegally kills him, or he kills himself. I want him to instead put in community service in the form of performing missions for us."

Sakura paled._Sasuke-kun can't die? And I… I slept with him… and I… Naruto…_

"Tsunade-sama…" she grunted. "I have to go…" She stumbled to her feet and tottered to the door, the cloak rippling behind her.

**SLAM.**

Tsunade released the broad grin that she had been suppressing for the past few minutes. She closed her eyes and sighed.

_I know what I did probably wasn't the best for Konoha… it probably wasn't the best for anyone, except for those two…_

…_but after what happened to myself, I'm not sure if would be able to allow Sakura's love to die like that._

_But about Naruto… I think it's safe to say that he'll be torn over this one. I just hope he doesn't do anything rash…_

_Oh God, what was I thinking? "Naruto" and "rash" are synonyms!_

------------x------------

Sasuke sat silently in his opened cell. He had been allowed to leave, but he didn't understand it.

_I am to commit seppuku for my crimes… why are they letting me go?_

"Sasuke-kun!"

He perked up at the sound of Sakura's voice. She dashed towards him, sliding to a halt in front of him, only bars separating the two.

"You can't be killed, Sasuke-kun!" she said between huffs. "Legally! You're the head of the Uchiha household! You can't die! Shishou said… you're just doing community service!"

He watched her carefully, standing up. "And you agree with that?"

"Yes!"

"But I thought you wanted me to die."

She looked thoughtful for a moment. "No… I…" –she turned her head down-"just didn't want to have to choose between you and Naruto before… but now I know that I was trying to decide between my best friend and the love of my life… I guess they're two different creatures."

Sakura opened her mouth to speak again, but as she raised her head, she was flipped and slammed against the bars by an unseen force. Two soft lips pressed against hers in a chaste kiss, so much different than the previous action.

As they pulled away and Sakura opened her eyes, she was greeted by the sight of her lover with a minute smile on his face.

------------x------------

"Tsunade-sama! Did you edit these papers?!" Shizune snarled, tossing down a pile of legalities on the Sannin's desk.

"I might have." Tsunade grinned.

"God! The only time you EVER do any paperwork, and it's illegal! How ridiculous! You should be ashamed to call yourself Hokage!"

"Oh, Shizune, don't be such a goody-two-shoes. What the elders don't know can't hurt them."

"That's not the point! You blatantly…"

Tsunade drowned out her ranting assistant with her thoughts.

_I hope you can find happiness, Sakura... but I hope you don't get too hurt, Naruto. I'm sorry._

------------x------------

A/N: SasuSaku flurry! Wooo!

Errrm... no, this isn't over yet. xP

Reviews? Yeah, I like 'em.


	14. Chapter 13

A/N: I didn't think I'd be able to put this one up tonight, but somehow I got it done!

Thank you for all of your wonderful reviews. All the reactions I got were different, and it's nice to see what other people are thinking. Please continue to give me feedback!

Chapter Stats  
Rating: PG  
Pairings: SasuSaku

------------x------------

"There are **no** flowers, _no not this time_.  
There'll be no _angels_gracing the lines.  
Just these **dark words** I find…"  
- AFI (which I don't own)

------------x------------

**Chapter Thirteen: Homecoming**

_I am alone._

_I am deserted._

_I am forgotten._

_I try my hardest to make everyone else happy… but somewhere in that process I lose my own happiness. Every. Single. Time._

_I am not a selfish person. When I have a friend, I feel like I owe them as much as my life, just for being my friend… just for taking the time to acknowledge me. Sakura and Sasuke… they acknowledged me. I thought they loved me. I thought we were a family… I gave them everything I had to give._

_I protected Sakura from all harm. I even tried to shield her feelings._

_I searched for Sasuke until I was forced to give up… I tried to save him from his darkness._

_But it's funny how in the end… they could do it for each other… and they'll never need me._

_Sakura left me for Sasuke. Sasuke took everything I had._

_As much as I wish I could hate them, I don't. I'm just… hurt._

_And this time, I don't think it can be forgiven so easily._

------------x------------

Sasuke and Sakura walked hand in hand through the streets of Konoha, ignoring stares from other villagers. Sasuke's unclothed torso was a spectacle, and every girl that looked twice received an evil glare that could only belong to Inner Sakura. The two felt blissful as they walked towards the outskirts of the village.

"I've never been to the Uchiha compound before… Sasuke-kun." She smiled up at him, and he turned his head only slightly to regard her.

"It's nothing special…" But the reminiscing displayed on his features told her otherwise.

"You grew up there, right?"

"Until the massacre."

_Oh, that's right… his family was murdered there…_

_And he expects me to sleep here?!_

"…don't worry about upsetting me."

His words shook her out of her thoughts. "Upsetting you?"

He shifted his onyx eyes away from her, the deep scar across his face evident in the sunlight. "If there's anything you want to know, just ask."

She stared at her feet. He didn't have to say anything else.

Naruto slouched against a stone wall, watching out of the corner of his eye as the Uchiha and his lover passed him, either unnoticed or overlooked.

_She looks so happy… so much happier…_

_**Compared to when she was with you…**_

_When she was with me…_

------------x------------

Sakura gaped. "This? This is the Uchiha district?!"

The raven-haired teen released her hand and walked forth into his former home. "Hn."

She hurriedly caught up to him. "It's deserted…"

"What did you expect? The Uchiha clan is dead."

"I know, but…"

He led her to a particularly large house, its windows draped with faded curtains and wooden structure faded. By the way Sasuke opened the door and tenderly removed his boots, Sakura could tell that this had once been his home. She followed suit.

_Sasuke and tender… that's something you don't always see._

He came to a halt in what she assumed to be the living room. A dated television sat idly on a low table, and a dusty couch sat across from it.

"Wait here."

She obeyed, and watched his bare back as walked away from her, noticing a strange scar on his left shoulder blade.

_Only Sasuke would carve his clan's symbol into his back…_

------------x------------

_Love. What is love? Is it a feeling, or is it an action? I have loved… but have I ever felt love?_

_I don't remember…_

_**You loved them… but they refused to love you back.**_

_Refused…_

------------x------------

"Sakura…"

The deep voice surprised said kunoichi, who was gazing at a portrait that hung from the wall near the TV. She whirled around, startled.

"Sasuke-kun?"

He stared at her thoughtfully, tossing a box onto the couch, which sent a ridiculously huge cloud of dust particles into the air. Amusingly, he remained unfazed as he sauntered towards her, and she chuckled.

"My family's portrait…" He ran a calloused finger along the edges of the frame. As he came to the area above where a young Itachi gazed in a bored manner at the viewer, he slid his finger down the glass and placed it on top of said Uchiha. His face darkened and he dropped his hand to his side.

"Are you okay…?" Sakura placed a hand on his shoulder, which was now covered with a black obi.

He brushed her off quickly. "I brought you some clothes to wear, for now." He motioned to the box. "They were my mother's, but I'm sure they'll fit you. When you get a chance, you can go back to Naruto's and get your own clothes, that is, if you really intend to stay with me."

"I do," she said cheerfully as she opened the box.

"That mission… I'll be back tomorrow evening, but… during the time that I'm gone…" He looked pained. "Would you… please…"

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Please what?"

"…clean some things up for me?" he spat as if the words were toxic.

She laughed brightly and snaked her arms around his neck. "Of course, Sasuke-kun."

His strong arms pulled her closer. Onyx eyes gazed into jade with intense feeling, feeling that had never shown through his mask before.

"You're doing… so much for me…" She pecked him on the lips.

"Hn." Sasuke returned the gesture. "You'll be fine here tonight."

"What makes you say that?"

"…trust me." They shared a more passionate kiss.

------------x------------

Sasuke left his old home confidently, and lit the streetlights in the old sect of town with a small Katon jutsu, their humble lights the only thing for miles to fight away the black of night.

_Take care of her tonight._

------------x------------

The last Uchiha privately smiled as he passed the stone bench where he had left _his_ Sakura so many years ago.

"Teme."

He whirled around in surprise. _I didn't sense any chakra…_ "Naruto?" The blonde sat doggedly on the bench, his appearance shaggy and unkempt.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"I demand a fight, 'tebayo."

A hand made its way to Sasuke's hip. "You sure you want to do that?"

Naruto sighed. "You've already taken everything from me, why not my dignity too?" He stepped off the bench and stood hunched in front of his former best friend.

Sasuke smirked.

------------x------------

Sakura lie tiredly on the couch, where Sasuke had asked her to sleep that night.

_Why can't I just stay in his room? Geez…_ She pulled her blankets tighter, all of them flawlessly embroidered with the Uchiha fan._ At least it's only one night he'll be gone, and I'll spend tomorrow cleaning… so I won't have to think about being alone so much… Maybe I'll ask Ino to help me._

Her mind began to travel, and sleep was slowly taking its hold.

_I hope Naruto… isn't too lost… I should talk to him tomorrow…_

"Hello, Sakura-chan…"

Sakura's heart stopped. She jerked up violently, only to be greeted by two pairs of iridescent eyes.

------------x------------

A/N: I didn't get a lot of time to proofread for errors, so if you see any, please tell me!

Tahtah for now!


	15. Chapter 14

A/N: I've never claimed to be very good at writing action scenes... so please excuse them if they're not so good.

I got this finished due to a two-hour school delay!

**MINISPOILERFROMCHAPTER387!**  
I'm completely traumatized by this week's manga. I'm not sure if cyclops-syndrome Sasuke would be much fun to write about, beyond the whole angsty thing... then again, we don't even know if his eye's out yet or not. Please let it be genjutsu!!  
**END!**

Chapter Stats  
Rating: PG/PG-13 for mild bloody injuries, and mild language  
Pairings: Only mentions of SasuSaku

I'm not Kishimoto. I don't own Naruto (and if I did, this week's manga would have been totally different!).

------------x------------

**Chapter Fourteen: Opposites**

Naruto's foot shifted subtlety, and Sasuke knew he was coming for him. Sharingan began to spin in his eyes, and within a split second he was able to spot the blonde, merely inches away from his nose. He shifted quickly to the right, sending Naruto steaming past him haphazardly.

"Get serious, dobe. If you intend to actually hit me, that is," he said, a superior tone lacing his silky tenor voice. "Make this quick. I have more important things to do."

Naruto snarled as he regained his composure. Signs of the Kyuubi's chakra were already present, and he careened down the pathway, fists clenched. A feral roar tore from his throat as he missed again and was greeted by Sasuke's fist in his gut.

"You can do better." Sasuke tossed him away, and Naruto struggled to land on his feet. More of the red chakra leaked from every part of his body, and a shadow clone appeared to help him spin a Rasengan.

A smirk again surfaced on the Uchiha's face. "Already? Heheheh…"

"Sasukeeeee!" Naruto charged with his spiraling chakra sharper than ever.

The tomoe in Sasuke's Sharingan spun mockingly. He watched in seemingly slow motion as his rival approached him angrily. To his surprise, Naruto made a strange maneuver to the left and back to the right, his arm outstretched and aiming for his chest.

_I've got him!_

**CRACK!**

The Rasengan connected, but not with its intended target. Naruto's jaw dropped in utter awe as he gazed upon the whirling ball of dark blue chakra that opposed his red from Sasuke's hand.

_That's not Chidori! It's…!!!_

**BAM!**

An explosion threw the two shinobi in opposite directions, colliding with multiple objects on the way and skidding to a halt in the grass and dirt on either side of the road.

------------x------------

Sakura stared at the eyes like a deer in the headlights, her brain not quite registering what it was seeing. She blinked rapidly, but the eyes did not go away.

"Sakura-chan… I'm sorry for startling you, dear, but there's no other way to get your attention, unfortunately…"

The realization hit her then, and she let out a scream and frantically swatted at them with her blanket. When they remained unfazed, she wailed again and hid under the covers.

"Oh, grow up." A different voice spoke this time.

"Fugaku!"

"Mikoto."

"WHAT THE HELL?" Sakura bellowed.

"Oh, sorry dear, it's okay, we're not going to hurt you," the higher voice said cheerfully. "I'm Sasuke-kun's mom."

"She… she's dead!"

Mikoto sighed. "Yes, I am. But I've remained here after death, it seems. It's a terrible fate, you see, I can't touch anything and this place has gone to the dumps…"

Sakura hesitantly, without looking, grasped the lantern that sat on the floor beside her and fumbled around for a match. "I'm not going crazy, am I?"

"No, dear…"

The lantern was lit, and slowly, Sakura turned to regard the ghosts. Her eyes were greeted with the sight of a pleasant-faced, dark haired woman (her dark eyes were more than an echo of Sasuke's lost ones), and a stern-looking man (whose stoic posture seemed to run in the family).

She bit her lip. They were undeniably Sasuke's parents, as transparent as they were. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

"I hope she's good enough, Mikoto."

She snapped out of her stupor. "Excuse me?"

The lower voice, presumably Fugaku's, continued. "Hn. I never thought that there could be a chance for another Uchiha after Itachi lost his mind and Sasuke went off with Orochimaru…" He drifted over and stared down on her precariously, inspecting her body and chakra systems. "You'd better be passing good genes to my grandchildren, girl…"

Sakura glared at him and was about to retort, but Mikoto beat her to the punch. "Don't listen to him. He's… delirious," she said quietly, as if to keep him from hearing her.

"Mikoto-san… Sasuke… he is… I love your son…"

She smiled. "I know you do. He's told us about you before."

"He has?"

"You have no idea," she said dreamily. "He comes here to talk sometimes, even during the time that he spent under Orochimaru."

Sakura smiled weakly.

------------x------------

"You…" Naruto staggered towards his rival, who sauntered towards him. "You even stole my technique… my father's technique…"

Sasuke smirked. "Not exactly. My Rasengan is the opposite of yours." He was suddenly gone, and before Naruto could comprehend his movement, the Uchiha was behind him with a blade pressed against his throat.

"Just like you and me… opposites…"

A large hand of violent red chakra suddenly burst from the blonde's back, knocking Sasuke back and slicing Naruto's throat in the process. Sasuke skidded to a halt, still on his feet, and sheathed his sword.

"You did it to yourself."

Naruto grasped at his neck, blood pouring down his hand and saturating his clothing quickly. His breathing was ragged, even as red chakra took the form as three tails and began to heal his wound.

"Amusing. Really. You have no power of your own. You always have to rely on the Kyuubi…" He closed his eyes.

Naruto roared as he charged towards Sasuke again, this time with Rasenshuriken spinning wildly in his hand.

Sasuke's eyes snapped open. "It's not that easy! Amaterasu!"

Black flame exploded from his kaleidoscope eyes, igniting everything in his reach. Naruto whipped his jutsu in front of his body and began to hack through the field of fire with it. Even though his attempt was a good one, it gave Sasuke a chance to get behind him again.

"TEME!" he raged, flinging his arm around in attempt to hit the Uchiha, who simply caught his wrist and held it above Naruto's head. The Kyuubi teen struggled to get free, but his rival's hold was strong, and he was forced to let the Rasenshuriken die. His resolve crushed, he fell to his knees.

Sasuke tossed his arm back to him carelessly. "See you around, usuratonkachi." With that, he began to walk away.

_He's perfect… silhouetted with black fire… untouchable… so damn perfect…_

_He's better at everything… even the things that are mine… Rasengan…_

_Why can't I ever keep up with you… Sasuke?_

------------x------------

"The reason we've come before you tonight… we have to tell you about the curse of the Uchiha," Mikoto said quietly. "Since you're close to Sasuke-kun… I think it's important…"

"Curse? What curse?" Sakura asked cautiously.

"Well… for starters… he did not carve the Uchiwa into his back. It was Itachi on his deathbed… to remind him that he is bound to the fate of this clan, no matter how strong he becomes…"

Sakura's eyes widened. "How… grotesque."

Fugaku took over for his wife, who was visibly disturbed. "By taking Itachi's eyes… he's opened up a whole new hell for himself… a whole new level of Sharingan, beyond the regular Mangekyou. It is with this that he has the potential to be as powerful as Uchiha Madara..."

"Uchiha… Madara?"

"…although, at a cost…"

------------x------------

A/N: I fear that I've made Sasuke's parents OOC. Oh well.

Review, mmk? Thankies. :3


	16. Chapter 15

A/N: Pretty short, I know, but I don't have much time at all to update today... but I wanted to. xP This chapter is pretty important, though it has no pairings.

Chapter Stats  
Rating: PG  
Pairings: None

------------x------------

**Chapter Fifteen: The Release**

"Please…" Sakura said quietly. "Explain these… things to me."

As she gazed upon the ghosts of Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Fugaku, she found herself trying to imagine Sasuke as a child. _These two people really have seen that side of him… they know what he was like before the massacre._

Fugaku's deep voice was reminiscent of his son's. "I suppose I should start from the beginning.

"Uchiha are born power-hungry. We've been flaunting our power for as long as anyone can remember. We are _cursed_ with a thirst for power and blood, crimson, like our eyes. The more power we gain, the more the thirst grows, and we begin to crave the blood of more powerful shinobi. But the most satisfying of all blood drawn belongs to our own kin, and to make it even better, unfathomed power can be found by taking their light… and gazing through their eyes."

Sakura watched him intently. "So that's why Itachi left Sasuke alive?" Her stomach ached at the thought of the surgery she had performed on the younger Uchiha brother. "He wanted his eyes…"

Fugaku nodded. "If Itachi had been able to gain Sasuke's eyes, he would have been able to harness that ultimate power… but since Sasuke has taken Itachi's eyes…" His face was troubled. "I'm not sure what he's capable of. Sasuke never activated his own Mangekyou Sharingan… the fox boy's still alive… and the legends do not explain what happens then…"

A realization hit Sakura. "So you get Mangekyou Sharingan by killing…"

"…your best friend, yes."

So much had become clear to Sakura. She held her head in her hands and massaged her temples, trying to calm her thoughts.

"Uchiha Madara… the founder of the Uchiha clan… right?"

"Yes. The only person to ever officially obtain this power…"

Sakura bit her lip, afraid of the answer to her next question. "What's this power…?"

Fugaku's face darkened. "Legends say… an eternal Mangekyou Sharingan… and with it, the ability to summon and even control the Kyuubi."

Sakura inwardly screamed but felt utterly paralyzed on the outside.

_What if Sasuke-kun has this power? What of Naruto?!_

------------x------------

_**Let me out. Together, we can show them…**_

_Show them…_

_**We can show them all of the things we're capable of…**_

_Capable…_

_**That Uchiha… you could destroy him… you are much better than him… if only you'd pull this seal off…**_

_Better than him…_

_**Sakura would love you again instead… She would see that the Uchiha is useless. She would crave your power…**_

_My power…_

_**The people will be awed at your abilities… and you'll even become the almighty Hokage…**_

…

------------x------------

Sasuke's pounding feet on the dark forest floor made a light rustling as he dashed along, stirring up leaves with his speed. He scanned the night and dodged trees using his trained blood-red eyes. Even though seeing in the dark had never been a problem for the Uchiha, the extreme dankness made even him want to squint.

_What would this look like… through Mangekyou?_ The black tomoe in his eyes fused together, and through these pupils, the world was brightly colored and visible for miles beyond the average eye's ability. He nearly gasped with excitement at this new discovery, and he quickened his pace, bouncing off of tree trunks and rocks almost playfully.

But his fun suddenly came to a halt when a forceful chakra knocked the wind out of him. Red shockwaves rushed through the woods, toppling trees and pushing a baffled Sasuke to the ground. The sound of wood cracking and a howling wind filled his ears. He covered his head with his hands and peeked through them with a single eye, observing the sheer force with his kaleidoscope.

_I don't even need Sharingan to see this chakra… it has a definite form. Such power!_

He rolled to the side to avoid a large log careening his way, and had to repeat the action numerous times.

The booming lasted for less than a minute, but when it was finally over and Sasuke stood up to observe his surroundings, he was greeted by the sight of the glistening moon through a few leafless trees, the only ones left standing.

Another wave of chakra began to pulsate, but this one had no solid force. It rushed into Sasuke's veins, and an anxious feeling took a hold of his mind.

_Kyuubi…_

------------x------------

Sakura was surprised, when the earthquake-like shaking and the infernal wind had passed, that the house was still standing. Every window was stripped of its glass, which was shattered and strewn all over the floor along with the remains of the TV. She stood up shakily and rushed to the door. It hung feebly from its hinges, and Sakura dashed into the street.

From here, she could see through a flattened forest to the rest of Konoha. Without a second thought, she charged towards the core of her hometown, where the Hokage's tower was ablaze and crowds of people were gathered in the streets.

Mikoto turned to her semitransparent husband. "Was that…?"

He nodded curtly. "No doubt about it."

------------x------------

Tsunade stood in the street, visibly shaken, staring at the crumpling building before her as the inferno ate it away. The voice of her assistant snapped her out of her stupor.

"Tsunade-sama! Are you alright?!" Shizune rushed to her side. "I couldn't find you! I was so afraid that you--"

"Shizune, goddamnit, stop your babbling and round up every shinobi you can find! Bring them here! And find Kakashi as fast as you can!"

For once not annoyed that the Hokage had interrupted her, the black haired woman nodded and dashed into the battered village.

Tsunade's face twitched. _I just knew that I made a bad choice…_

_If this is as bad as I think it is…_

…_what the hell are we going to do?_

------------x------------

A/N: Dundundunnnn. :3 Kyuubi Naruto pwns!


	17. Chapter 16

A/N: Well, I've got the ending all figured out, but not in detail yet. xD I believe there are some foreshadowing clues in this chapter, if you squint hard enough.

Chapter Stats  
Rating: PG-13 for a little bit of language  
Pairings: Mentioned SasuSaku

I don't own Naruto! If I did, new manga would come out every other day so the fans wouldn't have to suffer like this. -sob-

------------x------------

**Chapter Sixteen: Anger **

Sasuke's strong legs pounded against the ground. His previous path away from the place where he had left Naruto crumpled on the ground had been obscured by unfathomable amounts of various debris. A chilling wind whipped around him, and he couldn't shake the ominous feeling that ate away at his thoughts.

Sasuke was not the type of person to ever be surprised, nor did he often show his emotions, but at this point in time, when the disaster epicenter that was Konoha came into his sight, a rare intake of air and a shocked expression escaped through his stoic exterior.

_He released the seal… that dead-last idiot released the seal…or did it break?_

_I guess it doesn't matter now._

_I remember fighting him when only a controlled amount of chakra from the fox had leaked out… not so easy…_

_Taking that into account, and if just the shockwaves alone were that powerful… then what kind of destruction could the Kyuubi itself cause?_

_Sakura… fuck._

The icy wind blew again, more harshly this time.

------------x------------

"Tsunade-sama?" Kakashi said, lacking the urgency that every other voice in the village contained. "You summoned me?"

The blonde Hokage nodded. "I'm assuming you know what has happened."

The jounin shrugged. "Naruto. What else could possibly cause this to happen?"

A power line not so far away was snapped by fallen debris making a wild cracking noise, and multiple screams erupted from the panicked villagers.

Tsunade closed her eyes. "Obviously, the chakra seal was not a floodgate… if all of that chakra had come out at once… I think we'd be able to see him by now. So it's just trickling out… which means we have a short time frame to work with here before all nine tails form."

"So what you're saying is… you want me to go find him--"

"No. I want you to go find that Uchiha. Bring him here. I'm sure he's on his way back as we speak."

Kakashi's visible eye widened. "Why?"

"Trust me." Her eyes opened with determination. "I have a plan."

"Hai!" He hurriedly summoned his troupe of nin-dogs, and they departed into the night.

Amber orbs watched Kakashi fade away, her expression unreadable.

"Tsunade-sama! I've brought shinobi!" Shizune called out as she approached the Hokage, a mass of ninja in tow, with Neji, Hinata, Ino, Shino, and Kiba leading the pack.

She smirked in response. "It's going to be a long night."

But that smirk faded when thoughts of the bright young blonde boy crossed her mind.

------------x------------

"Shit!" Sakura hit the ground harshly, scraping her chin and arms in the process. She turned her head slightly, observing the beam of wood that had tripped her as she scrambled to her feet.

_I know that was Naruto… I don't know what has happened… but I have to get to him…_

A deafening noise, something between a scream and a howl, erupted into the air, shaking the very earth and warping Sakura's thoughts. She stumbled and grasped her ears, fighting the urge to scream along with the harrowing sound.

Soon, the pink-haired teen took off in a gait again, following the groaning sounds that had started after the shrill cry.

_The exit of the village…_

_Sasuke, I hope you're already gone…_

------------x------------

_It hurts… it… it's so painful…_

_**But can you feel the power?**_

_I… can…_

_**To think, we're not even halfway done… not much longer and you'll be able to flatten anything you please with the flick of a mere finger!**_

_Sakura…_

_**She will love you again… and you can bring end to that miserable raven in the process…**_

_Sasuke…_

A powerful fist of chakra slammed into a stone bench, sending waves of cracks through its mineral makeup. Not satisfied, Naruto grasped it with his demon cloak claw and ripped it from the ground. He held it above his head, some of the crumbling rock falling into the chakra below. It was instantly incinerated, and a twisted smile broke onto his possessed face.

With a mere flick, the bench was sent flying into the sky. As it came plummeting down to the hard earth, a blast of pure chakra burst from his mouth, engulfing it.

Smoldering pebbles hit the ground sounding much like rain.

------------x------------

"Did you see that?!" Kiba barked. "What the hell is going on?" Hinata shivered, and Shino buried his hands even deeper inside his cloak.

The village was in absolute chaos, even as shinobi were assigned missions to help out.

"All water jutsu genin and chuunin need to help put out these fires!" Tsunade bellowed. "All remaining genin and chuunin are to assist any villagers in need of help immediately! Medics should be on duty! ANBU members and jounin, just hold on for a minute!"

"Tsunade-sama…" An ANBU member stepped forward. "The beam in the sky just now… was pure chakra. Kyuubi's chakra."

The stressed woman sighed gruffly. "I realize that, Yamato."

He adjusted his mask. "He pulled the seal, didn't he?" When she didn't reply, he continued. "Wonder what made him do that."

The Hokage lowered her head in shame. "Go find… Sakura."

"Hai!"

------------x------------

_The last time we saw that type of chakra blast… he was losing control… oh Naruto…_

The blast had made for a beacon, and Sakura pushed herself as hard as she could towards its source. She was close now; she could feel the sinister chakra breaching her systems, making her nearly shudder with anxiety.

As she rounded a corner, another primal cry filled the night sky, accompanied by a merciless red light.

As it faded, and Sakura's sight was restored, Naruto had already advanced upon her shaking form, four tails swinging monstrously behind him.

------------x------------

_He's where I left him!_

"Sasuke!"

Said teen snapped his neck to meet eyes with Kakashi, who was examining him cautiously. "What's going on…?"

Sighing, Kakashi began to walk away. "Come with me, I'll explain as we go. Tsunade has ordered me to bring you to her right away."

Sasuke snorted. "We really don't have time for this, since the Kyuubi is freeing itself as we speak."

Kakashi glowered at his former student. "It's an order… and you can bet that Sakura is already in trouble. You can't save her yourself and you know it. This isn't as easy as suppressing its chakra."

Kaleidoscope eyes spun spitefully. "I can do much more than just hold its chakra back…"

"You're acting just like your brother. You're not as powerful as you think you are. If Sakura and Naruto die while you're being difficult…" His eyes shone angrily in the light from the moon. "I'd be happy to point out how much like Itachi you really are… like his carbon copy."

"FUCK YOU!" A sharp katana just barely missed Kakashi's heart, passing above his shoulder instead thanks to the jounin's quick reaction.

"If you want to prove me otherwise, get your arrogant ass together, and follow me." He gazed deeply into Sasuke's eyes, knowing that at any time the Uchiha could have him dead. "If you don't care what I think, and what everyone else sees, take on the Kyuubi yourself, and feel totally helpless as the beast eats them alive."

------------x------------

Sasuke followed his former-sensei into town, his eyes remaining onyx and half-lidded for the entire trip.

------------x------------

A/N: Sasuke just got told!

**Uhh little spoiler here. :3**

Kakashi: Damn right!  
Sasuke: At least I have my own two eyes.  
Kakashi: Not for long... -sheepish grin-  
Sasuke: You don't know that! I-I could have been doing genjutsu!  
Kakashi: Uh huh... suuuure...  
Sasuke: -tear- Or maybe it wasn't even me screaming!!  
Kakashi: Riiight...

**Over.**

Thanks for reading. Review?


	18. Chapter 17

A/N: Sorry, brief again. I've got such a busy life right now... ugh.

**Mini spoiler! **

Sasuke: Haha! Told you I still have my eyes!  
Kakashi: Yep.  
Sasuke: And you thought I was dead!  
Kakashi: Uh huh.  
Sasuke: What now, huh? What now?!  
... ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING?  
Kakashi: No.  
Sasuke: -sweatdrop-

**End **

Ahahaaaa.

Chapter Stats  
Rating: PG-13 for some language and mentions of character death  
Pairings: Mild SasuSaku

------------x------------

**Chapter Seventeen: Final Plan  
**

Sakura let out a yelp as an unseen fist of chakra connected with her body, sending her flying backwards at an alarmingly fast rate. She flailed about, unable to grasp anything solid.

_What just happened?!_

She felt a descent and then a collision with something sturdy, and her motion stopped abruptly. Although afraid to move, Sakura felt no pain, and even though she was still unable to see, she concluded to herself that she was unhurt. Sturdy arms were wrapped around her, and the person that they belonged to was moving swiftly along.

Her vision was refocusing, and the figure of Yamato was becoming clear. "Yamato-taich--"

"Be silent." The urgency in his voice was apparent. The pink haired teen stilled immediately.

Yamato was moving at a rapid rate away from the monster of chakra, but not quickly enough, because the next thing she knew, a bright red creature stood before them. Yamato skidded to a halt and hurriedly placed Sakura on her feet.

"Run away! Run towards the Hokage tower!" he barked, facing Naruto's manifestation. "That's a direct order! Go!"

"But--" she protested.

"RUN!"

Sakura glanced sadly over her shoulder at the ANBU member before sprinting away.

_Please… please don't get hurt…_

He kept his eyes locked on the creatures', which were now endless, gaping holes of white. A shaky gaze slipped to Naruto's chest.

_I can't appeal to that necklace anymore… there's no seal. I can only do one thing._

Yamato summoned a wood clone, all the while staring down Naruto, whose chakra levels were increasing by the second. When the clone was bolting away, following the same path that Sakura had just taken, he got into a fighting stance.

_I must restrain him…_ He burst out in a fury of wood jutsus, trying desperately to capture the suffering teen.

Naruto roared maniacally and swung powerful claws at the wood, instantly incinerating them with a crackle and forcing Yamato to create cover for himself.

_Just as I thought…_

_The only thing I can do is preoccupy him._

------------x------------

"Uchiha Sasuke… glad to see that you've joined us," Tsunade said half-heartedly as she gazed at the weakening inferno that was her tower. "Thank you Kakashi… that's all."

The jounin raised an eyebrow. "Come on, you have to have _some_ use for me!"

Sad amber eyes met his. "This isn't the time…"

"What is it that you need me for?" Sasuke interjected impatiently. "I intend to protect…" –he searched his mind for the right word- "…my important people. Tell me how I can do that."

Tsunade turned to face him. She regarded his appearance seriously, recognizing the expression that he wore as nothing less than determination, even if he did his best to hide it behind his nonchalant mask.

"Uchiha… you know of your clan's secrets, I assume." He nodded briefly. "So you know… that you're the only one who can control Kyuubi."

He looked away. "Theoretically."

"You're not sure?"

"There are some… technicalities."

She shook her head. "We'll have to try anyways. We have to stop it before the Kyuubi gets out completely…"

Onyx eyes returned to Tsunade's face. "What do you plan to do… when I've got control?"

She took a deep breath. "While you're forcing it to halt, I'm going to reseal it. I wish there was another way, but to save Naruto, there are no other options. To separate them is to kill him…"

"Which technique are you going to use?" Kakashi asked quietly. The miserable look that he was given in return was enough of an answer.

"So all I have to do… is direct its attention away from you? That shouldn't be too hard." A smirk was scrawled on his face, and Sharingan spun in his eyes.

"Hinata is to help you, should you fall back." Said Hyuuga stepped out from behind the Hokage, her eyes gleaming with new found strength.

Sasuke regarded her, amused. "I won't need your help."

Much to his surprise (even though you could never tell), the girl smirked. "I'm sure you won't, Sasuke-san."

------------x------------

_It's funny how things work out._

_When I came in the first place, I figured that I'd end up staying for one reason or another. But I never thought that I could find happiness…_

_I did. I really think I did, as corny as that sounds._

_Tch. Don't read too far into it._

And now, I might lose what I've found, because for some damned reason, I'm still concerned about these people and that moronic idiot. Sakura and I could just as easily leave here… and never look back as the Kyuubi devours our homeland.

_Shit. Not that easy._

_That idiot… he has to hate me after I stole his cherry blossom from him._

_If I was anyone else, I'd feel bad about it… but I'm an Uchiha. I take what I can get… and leave the rest in the dust if that's how it has to be. It's our merciless nature, and we're all like that._

…

_I just lied to myself._

…

_Why did that idiot have to fuck things up?_

_Why did Sakura have to be with him at all?_

…

_I don't want to fight Naruto._

------------x------------

"Sasuke!"

Said Uchiha halted on the spot, causing the other three in his party to stop as well.

"Sakura…" he breathed as she approached him quickly. She virtually leaped into him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. He hugged her back gently and a lot less enthusiastically.

"We don't have time for this! Where's Naruto?" Tsunade said seriously. "And what happened to you?"

"Naruto-kun can't wait! Come on!" Hinata snapped.

Sakura dropped to her feet and just now looked down to examine herself. Cuts, varying from deep slashes to surface scratches, coated her body and clothes, some bleeding seriously.

Her eyes narrowed and her face sunk. "He's over there… Yamato's there too…"

As if on cue, the wood clone landed quickly beside the pink haired teen, making her jump in surprise. He rushed to Tsunade, a terror-stricken look on his face.

"Five tails… the fifth tail is growing. Seal's completely gone… can't do anything. Dying…" And with that, the clone burst into white smoke.

The group of ninja stood quietly, absorbing the information that was dealt to them.

------------x------------

A/N: How is death a mature theme? Blah.

I wish I had more time to write. :(


	19. Chapter 18

A/N: I finally got a chance to update, since today is a snow day, and I get to stay home and be lazy. :3 I've been a little preoccupied with making AMVs with Sony Vegas lately, too, and that's taken away some of my writing time. So, I apologize. I hope to update again soon.

Chapter Stats  
Rating: PG-13 for a little language  
Pairings: None, really

------------x------------

**Chapter Eighteen: The First Attempt**

_I left him there. It's my fault. He's gone… and it's my fault._

"Sakura-san!"

_It's my fault that Naruto did this, too. He could die… and Sasuke-kun… Tsunade-sama…_

"Sakura!"

_I… why…_

_I just wanted to be happy…_

_Why did it have to go this way…?_

The pink haired girl swayed and collapsed to the ground in a defeated heap. Tsunade and Hinata had rushed to her side in concern. Jade eyes were sealed, and her body went limp.

"She's just passed out…" Tsunade said to Sasuke, who was gazing down at his lover with a strange look on his face. "You need to stay focused. Don't worry about her." He nodded weakly, and she whirled to face Kakashi. "Take her to safety."

"What about you?"

She glowered. "That's an order."

"…hai." The gray-haired jounin crouched and scooped the girl into his arms, then faced Sasuke. Giving him a solemn nod, he dashed away into the night, leaving the Uchiha, Tsunade, and Hinata alone.

Hinata rose to her feet. "We don't have time for--"

Her words were cut off when a large fist of chakra slammed down into the ground a mere foot away from the Hyuuga, who had dodged it just in time.

"SASUKE!" The roaring voice belonged to Naruto, but it was distorted and sharpened, sending chills through the said teen's veins. A second fist blasted away some nearby buildings, and when the smoke cleared, a creature of chakra stood ominously in their place, five tails swaying behind it. His breathing was loud and heavy, almost gasping.

"Sasu—KECH!" A trained fist unexpectedly plummeted into Naruto's face, sending him flying into a pile of hard debris.

"Be careful Sasuke! One direct hit from that chakra and you'll be dust!" Tsunade yelled to him. "I'm going to start getting the seal ready! Hold him off!"

"Look out!"

A large piece of debris was launched from the top of the pile, soaring through the air in the Hokage's direction. She whipped her head up and readied a chakra-filled fist. It met with the chunk and shattered it, pelting her with tiny rocks and dust, and while she was preoccupied, Naruto had tossed a second, this time larger piece her way.

"Shit!" Sasuke hesitated. _If I don't stop that rock, Tsunade will be crushed… but if I move or even use Amaterasu…_ He watched the Jinchuuriki rise from the pile deviously. _I'll be forced to take my eyes off of him…_

Just as the rock was about to connect with Tsunade's suddenly aware face, it was again blasted away, this time by a whirling Hinata.

Byakugan eyes narrowed. "I thought you didn't need me, Uchiha."

Even Sasuke was obviously caught off guard by this change of personality. "Hn." A smirk overcame the shock on his features. "Alright then…"

She, too, smirked, then rocketed herself towards the grinning beast, Sasuke at her side.

"Let Naruto-kun go!"

------------x------------

Kakashi set Sakura down on an empty hospital cot. She stirred briefly, her pale face scrunched in visceral agony.

_This isn't fair for anyone._

A young medical nin leaned into the room, his demeanor exhausted, sweat coating his face. "Does…" He gasped for air. "Does she need to be healed?"

Kakashi watched him struggle to stay upright, and sighed. "No, she's just had some trauma. Nothing you can really do about that."

The nin's blue eyes met Kakashi's mismatched ones, widening in recognition. "Kakashi-sama? What happened to Sakura-sama? What's going on out there?"

He forced a barely-visible smile. "You don't need to worry about that. Just keep focused on your job."

"But some of these people are coming in with the strangest wounds! We can barely heal them!" he protested. "It's hard to help when you don't know what's going on."

"I know. But there's nothing you can do about it, so it's not worth discussing." He rose to his feet. "You're as tired as Sakura is. Stay here with her for now."

"Is that an order?"

Kakashi thought about it. "Yes, it is." He strode out of the room. "When she wakes up, do all that you can to keep her from leaving."

"Hai!" The boy tottered to her bedside and slumped into a chair. Sakura shifted uncomfortably and murmured something inaudible.

_What happened to her? What's really going on here?_

------------x------------

Sasuke dived left to avoid the massive chakra arm that swung his way. Hand signs flashed quickly on his hands.

"Katon! Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" An equally massive fireball blasted from his mouth and drifted towards and into Naruto, who seemed merely amused.

"Rotation!" Hinata snarled, spinning rapidly and thwarting away tossed debris and chakra blasts narrowly.

"If you can control the Kyuubi, why are we fighting like this? Just take control and hold him still!"

"It's not that easy!" Sasuke fired back. "And I'm waiting for Tsunade to finish writing her seal!"

"Well this type of technique isn't even affecting him!"

Sasuke's Sharingan spun faster, and morphed into the kaleidoscope form. "Fine! Amaterasu!"

The area around Naruto ignited in violent black flame, surprising him and singing his body before he could jump away. Some of the flames caught on to the remaining clothing beneath the cloak of the Kyuubi, keeping the dark inferno close to his body. A scream of agony rung out as he thrashed, trying desperately to put out the fire.

"You idiot! You're going to kill him!" Tsunade barked, looking up from the scripture she was writing briefly.

Sasuke's eyes spun angrily. "What the hell am I supposed to do?"

The roar of the Kyuubi sounded, and another tail was bubbling up.

"Shit!" Sasuke cussed. "I'm going to have to get control of that chakra now. I have no other choice!"

Hinata was at his side. "I'll enter his subconscious first… watch my back!" She nodded, determined.

His eyes closed tiredly.

_This is it!!_

------------x------------

_Just my luck… this girl has superhuman strength…_

The medic nin blocked the door with his body. "S-sit down! That's an order!" he yelled, exasperated.

Sakura snarled. "I'm_your_ superior! Shut up and get out of my way!"

"Kakashi said so!"

"Fuck Kakashi! Everyone I care about is out there! MOVE YOUR ASS!" she roared as she slammed a fist into the wall, ripping open a gaping hole.

"No!"

She furiously grabbed his shaking form and lifted him up into the air, prepared to toss him aside.

_I hate my life._

------------x------------

Kakashi rushed through the crumbling village in the direction of the Kyuubi's cries.

_If I'm going to be the next Hokage… then it's my duty to protect this place!_

------------x------------

A/N: Review, please. :) -runs off to read manga 389 spoilers-


	20. Chapter 19

A/N: Most likely, this chapter will be a little bit confusing to you. I promise that I will explain it better in the next chapter, but if I spent any more time right now explaining every little thing, I think it would be even more confusing. Please bear with me!

**Also, just to clarify things, please note that Sasuke has not taken control of the Kyuubi so far. **I am not sure that I have made that clear enough.

Chapter Stats  
Rating: PG  
Pairings: SasuFRIENDSHIPNaru

I don't own Naruto.

------------x------------

**Chapter Nineteen: Wake Me Up**

Mangekyou Sharingan opened widely, spinning harshly. A burst of new chakra forced Hinata away from a concentrating Sasuke, and Naruto's attention had become more focused on him. Red eyes searched hollow white ones, until it seemed that the perfect spot had been found, and they ceased to roam any longer. The Kyuubi and its vessel seemed mesmerized, awe-striking the Hyuuga, who simply shifted her gaze from Sasuke to Naruto.

------------x------------

_Darkness. That doesn't surprise me._

Sasuke's eyes darted around in the hanging midnight, finding nothing beyond the black. "Kyuubi. Come forth."

It obeyed, snickering. Drifting up from the ground in the form of nearly infinite chakra, the fox sat meticulously, watching Sasuke's eyes.

Such a powerful collection of chakra would intimidate anyone else, but he was Uchiha Sasuke. "Where is Naruto?"

Kyuubi narrowed its eyes. "**What does it matter? He is of no further use to you.**"

"Where is he?"

With a 'poof', a cage with gilded bars appeared before Sasuke and the fox. In it, at its bottom, lay a sleeping Naruto, looking ragged and beaten.

Without turning his head, Sasuke's blazing red eyes snapped to the Kyuubi. "Get him out of there."

"**I can't do anything. He put himself there, Uchiha.**"

He again brought his eyes to the unconscious blond. _How am I supposed to get his attention?_

"Naruto. Get your weak ass up," he muttered as he approached the cage intently. When the body inside did not move, he grasped a bar and shook it impatiently.

"**He has submitted to my will on his own terms,**" the fox said behind him. "**Only he can get himself out of his cage.**"

------------x------------

The medic nin met the hard floor painfully, and he let out a mild howl as he scrambled back to his feet and slumped against the wall defensively. Sakura clutched her stomach and staggered back to the bed, nearly missing it as she stumbled in pain.

"Sakura?" he squeaked, looking at the agony-stricken girl. Her eyes were cloudy and unfocused. "What's wrong?"

"I feel…"

Feeling the killing intent dissolve, he deemed it safe to approach the teen. "You feel…?"

The next thing he knew, he was covered in vomit.

------------x------------

The deadly stare down between the last Uchiha and the last tailed-beast raged on. Naruto's cloak had six precarious tails, another one threatening to form at any minute as the cloak became less chakra, more defined matter.

Tsunade wrote as quickly as she could, knowing that the window of time for sealing was closing rapidly.

Without warning, Sasuke and Naruto burst into violent motion. Kyuubi began to collect a massive amount of chakra in its mouth as it used its many cloak extremities to flail at Sasuke, who responded with quick maneuvers and katana slices to keep it at bay.

When enough chakra to annihilate the entirety of Konoha had been collected, the creature began to swallow the energy.

"Shit!" Sasuke, finally on the offensive, rushed towards the Kyuubi with his katana outstretched. He feigned a stab and stepped to the side with unparalleled speed, reappearing on the other side of the suddenly disoriented Jinchuuriki.

"Naruto, you weakling, wake up!"

A chakra-infused blade was thrust through the cloak of the Kyuubi and into the skin of the contained Naruto.

------------x------------

Kyuubi shuddered slightly. "**Í seem to have trouble remembering that you are similar to Uchiha Madara.**" A twisted grin pulled its face tightly. "**I am enjoying your will to fight.** **But it seems that your friend does not share my enthusiasm.**" It gestured to the cage containing Naruto.

Sasuke narrowed his red eyes, approaching the cage once again. Inside, Naruto's side began to spout blood, and the dark teen had to fight the urge to gag at the sight of his shocked face.

"Wake up… damnit… you have to wake up…" he murmured incredulously. "You woke me up… Naruto…"

"**You waste your time, Uchiha.**"

Kaleidoscope eyes stayed locked on Naruto. "You said that only he can unlock himself." Said eyes closed. "Naruto… what we've done to you… is unforgivable.

"BUT YOU WILL WAKE UP. I WILL WAKE YOU UP MYSELF."

------------x------------

Kyuubi looked nearly ready to burst with its fill of chakra. Sasuke steadied himself, his eyes shut. The beast lurched back, and a world-destroying amount of chakra came bolting out of its body.

Tsunade gasped, and Hinata barely suppressed a scream as the energy eclipsed Sasuke.

_I am sorry… for all of the things I've done to you, Naruto._

------------x------------

_Where am I…?_

_It is quiet… dark…_

_Have I died? What is this overwhelming feeling?_

_I feel like a load has lifted off of my chest._

_The Kyuubi's chakra…_

------------x------------

"What was that?" The med ninja gazed out of the small window, still wiping his hands with a towel tiredly.

"I'm sorry… again… for throwing up on you…" Sakura said weakly. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm dizzy… and I just don't feel right."

He returned his eyes to her face. "It happens."

She looked away. "I know what's going on out there… that's why I need to go… they're going to need me… a medic…"

"Why?"

Sakura shook her head, but an idea came to the front of her mind. "If I tell you, you have to promise to help me."

He sighed. "With what?"

------------x------------

As the smoke cleared, and the last evidence of the blinding white flash of chakra had faded, Hinata cautiously opened her eyes. She was immediately greeted by the sight of Neji's back.

"Sorry that I am late…" he said, turning his head to the side to see Hinata. "It seems that I've arrived just in time… you were almost hit by some pretty dangerous debris."

"Tsunade-sama..?" she asked weakly. "Where is…?"

"I'm fine." The Hokage's voice came from Hinata's right, and when she glanced to her, she also met Lee's eyes, who stood in front of her. He grinned and gave her a thumbs-up (to which Neji barely suppressed a scoff).

"Then where is Sasuke?"

At once, their eyes returned to the battlefield.

Kyuubi's daunting form still graced the skyline, but its usual intimidating stance was slightly limp. An unfazed Sasuke with his hands outstretched and eyes blazing stood before it, a massive amount of chakra surrounding him visibly.

"He must have…"

"He's suppressed the Kyuubi's chakra!"

"How is that possible?!"

Tsunade gaped. "Even if he is able to gain complete control over the Kyuubi… that blast should have at least sent him flying… this is…"

At once, strangely enough under the darkened sky and between the ruins that the two superpowers faced off upon, a silhouette of a spiky-haired boy stood beside Sasuke, echoing his repressive stance towards the beast, who was in the process of becoming more berserk by the second.

------------x------------

A/N: Please don't tell me that I've made Sasuke godlike. First of all, he has already shown chakra-repressive powers in the manga, and that's without any sort of Mangekyou Sharingan. Second... well, I'll explain it next time.

Thank you for bearing with me. xD


	21. Chapter 20

A/N: I don't know if I'm happy with this chapter or not. I think that it's more clear than the last one was, however.

No, the story isn't over yet, but we're getting there. :)

Chapter Stats  
Rating: PG-13 for language and character death  
Pairings: SasuFRIENDSHIPNaru, mentions of SasuSaku

------------x------------

**Chapter Twenty: To Harness a Monster**

"What was that noise?!" cried the disgruntled medic ninja, who struggled to keep up with Sakura as she dashed through town. "Where are we going? We're disobeying Kakashi-sensei!"

"Just follow me and don't ask questions for now! You're going to get a chance to be a hero if you do!"

He scoffed. "Since when did I want to be a hero?!"

_Please Sasuke-kun… Naruto… please be alright._

------------x------------

"So, teme, what brings you here?"

Sasuke slammed his body against the bars of the cage containing an awakened Naruto, who sat there merely watching his rival with amused eyes. "What the hell is wrong with you? What were you thinking, idiot?! You've killed people, do you realize that?" His Mangekyou Sharingan spun virally in his eyes.

Naruto remained unfazed. "After everything that I've gone through…"

"You should know that it doesn't make it right, asshole! So maybe I'm a fucking terrible friend! That doesn't mean you have to make everyone suffer for it!" Sasuke snarled. "You might not be unconscious anymore, but you're not awake! Damn it!"

"Since when did you ever start caring about anyone but yourself?" Naruto fired back.

With no comeback, after a brief moment of dead silence, the Uchiha lowered his head and released the bars on the cage, which he had been gripping tightly. He sighed tiredly, and when his eyes once again met Naruto's, they were three-tomoed Sharingan.

"I told you, I'm fucked up. But you… you have so much to offer the world." He turned away from his friend with the expression of something like embarrassment. "You have so much more to offer Sakura…"

"She would never be happy with me," the caged boy said sadly. "It took me years to understand that… and now that I do…" He got to his feet shakily. "Well… I just want her to be happy… and I think that… you're the only one who can do that."

Sasuke half-regarded his best friend with a sad gaze cast over his shoulder. "Don't be so forgiving."

Naruto laughed. "Who said I was forgiving you, teme?"

Abruptly, the Uchiha dropped to his knees and coughed, clutching his chest in agony.

"Sasuke?" Naruto's eyes widened.

"You idiot… kechh… get out of that cage… and…" His words were halted by a series of coughs.

------------x------------

Kyuubi's rampage had been taken to a higher level as its infinite chakra took miscellaneous forms, crushing everything in its reach into microscopic dust. Hinata, Tsunade, and the others hid behind a ruin of a building, clinging desperately to anything they could find while trying to dodge debris. It had become a near impossible task, but they weren't ready to give up just yet.

"Tsunade-sama… can't you just seal the Kyuubi now?" Hinata squeaked.

"It's not that easy. When it's thrashing like this, I can't get a clear shot, and I can't afford to miss… what the hell is Sasuke is doing out there?!"

Neji, with his Byakugan, was able to examine the situation, despite the terrible visibility caused by dust and dirt stirred up from the destruction. "Sasuke's still standing… but he's holding his side… got a nasty cut on his chest and there's definite internal bleeding… he's staring down Kyuubi…"

At that moment, a terrible scream burst into the air. The shinobi clutched their ears in agony as the ear-shattering roar pierced the night sky.

------------x------------

The presence of Kyuubi's subconscious was immediately recognized by both Naruto and Sasuke, and as Naruto shoved the cage door open, the fox spoke darkly.

"**Why do you help such a traitor? Did you not want to defeat him? This was your choice, Naruto.**"

Said boy crouched down to the collapsed Sasuke's level, offering him support to stand, which was promptly refused. Azure eyes met Kyuubi's evil ones, and the blonde stood again.

"You were manipulating me." The fox snarled, ready to protest, but Naruto continued. "I want to become Hokage, yes… I want to win Sakura's heart, yes… I want to defeat Sasuke, yes… but with my own power."

"**I am your power.**"

"You are not…"

Large eyes began to glow. "**Fine. If you do not allow me control, then I shall take it.**"

Naruto's hand was instantly in the air, ready to repress him. Sasuke coughed miserably, clutching his sides, but managed to raise his head to regard Naruto, who stood directly between himself and Kyuubi.

_And still… he protects me…_

"Bring it, 'tebayo!" he said with familiar cockiness. "I'm not going to be a pawn anymore!"

Kyuubi slammed a strong paw down with rage. "**You know well that you stand no chance, but you continue to protest!**"

He smiled ironically. "I think it is called… the will of fire…"

"MANGEKYOU SHARINGAN!" Sasuke yelled wildly, his head snapping up. "KYUUBI! THIS IS THE END!"

Naruto stared at his friend with astonishment as a strange new Sharingan spun fatally in his eyes. His subconscious body glowed with an essence of sheer power, and the Kyuubi let loose a terrible scream.

"NARUTO! HELP ME! HOLD BACK THAT CHAKRA!"

Doing as he was told, he couldn't tear his eyes away from his focused rival.

_What the hell is going on? What are you… Sasuke…!_

------------x------------

All was silent. A foreboding stillness filled the air, and shinobi across Konoha stared at the wreckage that was their village in shock.

"What just… happened?" Hinata murmured. Others in the group shared her curiosity, and one by one they gained enough courage to peer around their defensive wall to see just what had happened.

Sasuke stood, though awkwardly slouching, his body emanating a strange, visible red essence, still facing the Kyuubi, whose constantly flowing chakra coating had suddenly halted. It was an awe-striking sight to see, and not one of the shinobi present could suppress a gasp.

"Kyuubi…" Sasuke's words dripped like venom from the fangs of a deadly snake. "Recede."

Another series of gasps of sheer awe sounded as the Kyuubi's now giant size began to reduce drastically.

"What's going on?!" Sakura's loud voice penetrated the pulsating silence, but as the sight before them became visible, she and the medic that accompanied her became paralyzed.

Chakra tails gradually began to diminish, one by one. Sasuke remained deathly still as he glared on, his eternal kaleidoscope grasping control of the monstrous beast before him. The ground around him was splattered with the Uchiha's blood, but seemed to not matter at this point.

Naruto's body twitched and convulsed as the massive amounts of chakra were forced back inside of it. The physical form of Kyuubi had long been evaporated, and the cloak was slowly eroding as well.

Tsunade rushed forward as soon as the third tail had faded away. She slammed her hand onto the ground on top of a long scroll of seals. Her multiple phrases were inaudible, but the Shinigami's seal had certainly been enacted, and the remainder of Kyuubi's chakra was once again sealed inside of Naruto's quivering, then stiff body. He collapsed to the ground in a puff of smoke, and Sasuke, his red glow fading, followed suit.

The Hokage let out a weak laugh, and then was sprawled onto the cold, hard earth herself. The final Sannin had been lost to history.

------------x------------

A/N: Meh... it's not over yet.

Er... well, the Kyuubi part is... but not the story...


	22. Chapter 21

A/N: Yes, this is the last chapter of To Be Broken. **But there will be an epilogue** (posted as another chapter) that I think is important to the storyline.

I hope you've enjoyed reading this as much as I've enjoyed writing it.

Chapter Stats  
Rating: PG-13 for language and character death  
Pairings: SasuSaku, mild NaruSaku

------------x------------

**Chapter Twenty One: Just Like We Always Have**

"Sasuke…" Sakura's weak voice broke the eerie silence that had encompassed the whole of Konoha for a seemingly everlasting moment. "Sasuke-kun! Naruto!" She frantically dashed forward, tripping over steaming debris and stumbling multiple times. She flopped to her knees in front of the bloody, dark-haired teen, tears bursting from her face. Sasuke looked up at her with dazed, unfocused eyes, and a serene smile graced his pale lips.

"Why did you have to be a fucking hero, Sasuke?!" she sobbed, smacking him across the face with an open palm. His head was instantly jerked to the side, but he remained unfazed.

"I wasn't being a hero. I was ending what I started." He straightened his head and his gaze to meet hers. "Hn. I should never have come back." A cough forced itself out of his throat suddenly, splattering his blood onto Sakura's face.

"It's not your fault! It-it was the Kyuubi!" Abruptly and hysterically, she began to force chakra into his wounds, trying desperately to heal the massive chasms in his flesh that were allowing mass quantities of his life to drain out.

He laughed shortly. "You can't do anything about this." His head shifted weakly to the side, facing towards Naruto and the crowd of shinobi that had by this time surrounded him. "Help him. You're the only one left who can."

She knew he was right. Sakura let out a harsh sob and collapsed on Sasuke's chest, staining her skin and clothes with his blood, still forcing every ounce of chakra she could muster into his wounds, even though no progress was being made.

"I won't let you die here," she muttered into his chest.

"You have no choice." Her head jerked up impulsively. "It turns out that this… power of mine wasn't complete after all."

"Eternal Mangekyou…?" He could only nod weakly in reply, because another spasm of coughing erupted from his now-trembling body. She wrapped her arms around his body helplessly, sobbing into his chest.

A large cluster of people, mainly Naruto's friends, had surrounded the fox boy. They were desperately trying to stabilize him and heal his body enough to be moved.

"Things with us… always end this way…" Sasuke murmured. "You can't help me… and I make you cry."

"End… oh god… this can't be the end…"

"Sakura… go help… Naruto." His voice was waning away, and Sakura's tears burst anew from her reddened eyes. "Stop crying…"

"…don't leave me again Sasuke-kun!"

"He needs you Sakura…" He scowled. "Don't tell me… you're going to pass out next."

Sakura raised her head again, examining his face as it glowered back at her.

"Go… before it's too late… and if you won't do it for him…" He swallowed his pride. "you can do it for me... promise me… you won't let him die."

The girl took a deep breath and tried to smother her sobs. "O-okay… Sasuke-kun... I promise." She pressed her lips against his gently, and he responded as best as he could, nibbling on her lip feebly. She could taste the iron of his blood clearly, and it made her sick to the stomach.

Sasuke pulled his head to the side after a few moments. "Go…"

Sakura nodded, then took off towards her fallen friend, determined to finally do something for the two she had always watched before.

The medic ninja who had accompanied Sakura here approached the fallen Uchiha, watching Sakura's pink hair sway behind her. He glanced down at Sasuke, who stared after her dreamily and calmly, completely unguarded under the assumption that nobody would be watching him die there.

_Never thought I'd ever get this close to him without getting killed. Even when he's dying… he's truly a terror. I guess Sharingan will die with this final specimen… I'm sure the hunter-nins are already on their way to destroy his body…_

He was shocked out of his thoughts by a tired voice; it was quiet, but undoubtedly directed at him.

"The Uchiha Estate is to belong to her and Naruto… tell Kakashi of my last request. The Rokudaime."

"H-hai!"

"And… please… tell her I love her."

"…hai."

_Hey, wait._

_If he's bleeding to death… why are his cheeks rosy?_

------------x------------

"Haruno Sakura-san? You're next."

Sakura stood up shakily, and all eyes were on her as she strode through the waiting room, an Uchiha-embroidered cloak rippling behind her. She was led through a series of dank hallways in the makeshift hospital to a small, damp examination room by a pleasant nurse who talked a little too much, and she sat down calmly on the table, swinging her feet over its edge. The nurse assured her that "the doctor would be in to see her soon" and left briskly.

_It's been a month since Sasuke died, and two weeks since Naruto woke up…_

…_but why does it seem like neither of these two events ever occurred?_

_I thought that things wouldn't just BE different… I thought I'd feel different. But I don't. I can't even explain it to myself…_

Abruptly, the door swung open again, and a familiar face greeted Sakura's.

"Ino-pig?"

"Forehead?!" Ino examined her briefly, and her blue eyes widened. "So it was you that they were talking about out there?!" She gestured towards her black cloak.

Sakura smiled slightly. "Might be. How've you been?"

"Not so bad. My house is almost rebuilt." She entered the room and began to jot some notes down onto files. "How about you…?" Ino glanced at her friend sadly.

Jade eyes closed. "Holding up, I suppose. I'm doing better now that I have Naruto to talk to again."

Silence overcame the room briefly. "So what are you in for today?" Ino said, peppiness returning to her voice.

"A check-up of sorts."

Ino's eyes narrowed. "I don't believe you. You know as well as I do that we don't have time to be dealing with just 'check-ups' right now! So what is it really?"

Sakura looked to her friend, and a sincere smile crawled onto her lips. "I think I'm pregnant, Ino."

A look of shock overcame the girl's face. She smacked a hand to her mouth and let out a muffled, "Seriously?!"

The pink-haired girl cradled her stomach gently. "Yeah…"

Silence ate away at the two again as the realization sunk into Ino's mind.

After a moment, she approached her childhood friend and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's…"

Sakura's smile grew. "Yeah."

------------x------------

"Hey, Naruto." Sakura entered the brightly decorated hospital room carrying yet another vase of flowers. "How are you feeling today?"

On the bed in the room sat a heavily bandaged blonde boy, who grinned brightly at his visitor. "Oh, I'm getting better, Sakura-chan. I was just watching them rebuild that building over there… and Kaka-sensei stopped by earlier."

She sat the vase down on a hard-to-find spot of emptiness, as the majority of the room was coated with other flowers, ramen cups, gift baskets, and various other presents.

"I still want to know, Sakura-chan… why do people not hate me for destroying their village?"

She couldn't suppress a mild laugh as she sat on the edge of his bed. "I think… some people understand it… and some people don't know who you are." He smiled again, and they sat in a comfortable silence for a short amount of time.

"Naruto… there's something you should know."

Said teen watched her green eyes lock onto his curiously. "What's that?"

"I… went to the doctor's today."

"Really? For what?" A sincere look of concern blanketed his expression, and Sakura felt utterly horrible for what she had to say.

"I am… pregnant."

"Wha-? But we never…" Her gaze dropped, and so did Naruto's stomach. "So you and Sasuke…"

"Yeah…" She bit her lip. "Naruto… I'm so sorry…"

"Don't be." His voice was surprisingly strong, and he cupped her chin with a calloused hand. "You two were meant to be, I think… even if it doesn't seem that way right now."

Sakura bit her lip and jerked out of his grip. "How can you be this way, Naruto? Not the least bit angry! I… I… can't take it!"

He smiled. "I don't know… I was mad… you can tell." -he gestured to the window at the outside world, where people were working tediously to put their village back together- "But I've never been able to stay mad at you and teme. And now after all of the things I've done to the village because of it… I don't think I'll ever be mad again, dattebayo!"

His light-heartedness pained her, and she rose from the bed and slowly walked towards the window. "Sasuke-kun left the Uchiha district to us, you know that, Naruto?"

Naruto stiffened. "He… what?"

"When he died… he gave it to us." Sakura gripped the windowsill tightly. "It works out… our homes were destroyed… and once we get the windows replaced… it'll be good as new…"

"I don't believe Sasuke is dead."

Sakura turned around abruptly, her eyes narrowed and shiny with unshed tears. "I saw him on the ground dying."

Naruto remained nonchalant. "Sakura-chan, did you actually see him die?"

"No! He told me to go help you!" Tears were now rolling down her cheeks. "What next, are you going to say Tsunade-sama isn't dead?"

Naruto's blue eyes clouded with shame. "I'm sorry… Sakura-chan. But I really don't think he's dead." She looked ready to scream at him, but he kept talking. "You feel it too, don't you? It's like we're all connected in our hearts… and I don't feel his missing."

"Then where is he? Why isn't he here with us, Naruto?! Why would he feint death and leave us again?!"

"Sasuke… is different."

Sakura shook her head, and the two remained quiet for the next few minutes.

"You know… twins… I'm pregnant with twins."

"What?" Naruto's eyes brightened drastically. "Get that! Teme doesn't even have to be alive to complete his goals!" His disposition was sincerely happy. "We're gonna have a whole bunch of little Uchihas running around! Congratulations, Sakura-chan!"

She chuckled half-heartedly. "Thank you…"

Naruto's face suddenly changed to something near sadness. "Sasuke didn't know you were pregnant, did he?"

Tears stirred anew in the pink haired girl's eyes. "N-no…"

"Then when he comes back again, he's going to be surprised!"

Sakura looked to her bright friend. _Even when he's wrapped in bandages from head to foot, recently came within an inch of death, lost his love to his best friend, and then lost his best altogether…_

…_he still finds it within himself to be bright._

_His hope is nothing short of inspiring, and even now, as I feel helpless and useless yet again, standing here in front of this sunshine, I'm inspired._

"Naruto…"

"Yeah?"

"You're…" She rushed over to the bed and flung her arms around his neck, and he embraced her back with equal vigor. "I want you to help me raise my children…"

"Seriously?!"

"Yeah…" She nuzzled her face into his neck. "I think we can do that as best friends… and I think that's what Sasuke-kun would want."

"Dattebayo! I'm going to teach them everything I know! I'll take them to Ichiraku's every day!" He squeezed her even tighter. "And… we'll tell them all about their father."

------------x------------

And so, eight months later, when Sakura gave birth to two healthy children with jet black hair, a boy with green eyes and a girl with onyx, they began the long process of doing just that.

Over the course of a few years, Konoha was rebuilt to its former glory, with some help from Suna, and Kakashi reigned successfully as the Hokage, even if he was never on time for meetings. The Uchiha district was, indeed, cleaned up, and Naruto and Sakura took up residence in Sasuke's former home. During the village's reconstruction, they boarded numerous families in the other houses, free of charge, even though they knew that Sasuke would have scowled upon it, and once they moved out, friends and their young families began to move in.

The boy, named Uchiha Minato after Naruto's father, was much like his name implies. He formed a strong bond with the blonde at a young age. He was talented with shuriken and had unfathomable strength like his mother, but he spent a lot of his time eating ramen and being pretentious, much to his mother's dismay.

The girl, named Uchiha Mikoto after Sasuke's mother, on the other hand, was a spitting image of her father, complete with genius tendencies and Uchiha pride. She was quiet and solitary, and activated Sharingan at a very young age. Her talent was especially in elemental ninjutsu, and with some help from Kakashi, her mentor, she was able to create her own version of Chidori in the reflection of her father's will.

_Even while things sound good on the surface, we all suffer on the inside sometimes. Naruto was broken… Sasuke was broken… and somehow, we all silently find ourselves whole in the end…_

_And me? I know what it's like to be broken, too._

_Even though Sasuke's gone, I haven't lost him._

_With Naruto, Minato, and Mikoto… I am whole again. _

------------x------------

A/N: Blah! I didn't make the ending too mushy, did I? I don't really like happy endings like this...

Don't forget, there's going to be one final addition to this... an epilogue.


	23. Epilogue

A/N: If you don't like this ending, you can forget it ever happened and just ignore it. I just wanted to make everything come full-circle.

Thank you to all of my reviewers and readers! I loved getting all of your input, and I hope I didn't disappoint you too badly with my story.

Chapter Stats  
Rating: PG  
Pairings: Mentioned SasuSaku and NaruHina

------------x------------

**Epilogue: Eternal? **

A meek wind lightly caressed the young woman's smooth skin as she walked soundlessly on the pathway to a very familiar place. A gentle smile graced her lips, and green eyes glistened with life, despite the dreary mood of the day, with blackened clouds casting a foreboding shadow onto the earth below them.

The memorial stone was the same as it had always been, with only a few notable names recently carved into its surface. The woman came to a gradual halt in front of it, and raised a soft hand to a few names in particular, tracing them lightly with an outstretched finger.

"Hey there, Sasuke-kun." Sakura's face shone even more brightly, even though raindrops had begun to fall. "How are you today?"

She took a seat at the base of the stone, leaning her head against its dark surface. "I'm pretty good myself. It's the first day off I've had in months." She closed her eyes. "Minato and Mikoto are on their first genin mission! Can you believe how quickly that time has passed? It seems like yesterday was their first day at the academy…"

A mild laugh passed through Sakura's lips. "And Naruto isn't here because… he's proposing to Hinata tonight. I think even you would be happy about that. He told me to tell you he's sorry for not coming."

The rain was intensifying by the second, and it was more than a drizzle now. "I had a bit of an argument with Mikoto again before she left this morning…" She shifted uncomfortably, as if the person she was speaking to was staring at her with his harsh onyx eyes. "I'm afraid that she's going to run off, Sasuke-kun. There's nothing I can tell her that satisfies her. She refuses to believe that you're…"

The wind picked up, and the rain was beginning to pelt, but Sakura was unaffected by the weather. She sat quietly, just enjoying her location. Even though he was not physically there, and she knew that quite well, just being near the memorial that bear his name in stone made her feel secure.

"Even though Kakashi has mentored her well, being the only adult with Sharingan, she thinks… no, she knows… that her eyes are so much more than we lead her to believe. But not only do we not know the whole truth… I'm afraid to tell her. It's not that I don't trust my daughter… our daughter… I just don't want her to suffer the same fate as you and your brother did, Sasuke-kun.

"Minato and Naruto have always gotten along, but ever since Mikoto was just a child, she's harbored a deep hatred for him. I think… even though she doesn't say it, that she believes he is the reason that you aren't here anymore… and she resents him for it." She smiled sadly and raised her face to the pouring sky, allowing the water to drench her. "I wish you were here to tell her she's wrong…

"Sometimes… it's the strangest thing… but sometimes, I feel like you're out there somewhere, just waiting for the opportune moment to come back into our lives once again. It's like the time that you left for Orochimaru…" She regarded the thought with a bitter face. "…only this time, my hope is stronger. Even when my mind tells my heart over and over again how silly the notion is…"

Lightning crashed brightly on the horizon, and Sakura jumped in surprise. It had been an abnormally bright flash, and she observed the site curiously from her distance away.

"I feel like you're trying to tell me something every time lightning strikes," she murmured absent-mindedly.

"I thought I'd find you here, Sakura."

The voice snapped Sakura out her thoughts, and she whirled around from her position on the ground, nearly toppling over in the process.

Kakashi stared mildly at her with a half-lidded eye. "You're going to catch a cold in the rain."

She smiled at the Hokage. "I'm not concerned." A smile was visible through the mask that still encased his face. "Hey, Kaka-sensei?"

"Yeah?"

Sakura kept her gaze distant. "Do you… believe Sasuke's dead?"

Kakashi was quiet for a moment, seemingly considering her question, and when he spoke, the tone in his voice was strange and unreadable. "You can never be too sure about people like him."

Sakura knew that this was his way of saying no.

------------x------------

"S-shit, Mikoto! What was that?" Minato kept his body low to the ground as he concealed himself behind a bush, his voice harsh and struggling to beat out the sound of rain on leaves.

"I don't know! Stay quiet, idiot!" she fired back, her duel-tomoed Sharingan spinning angrily.

"Where's Shikamaru-sensei?!"

Mikoto only glared at her brother. _I don't feel any chakra, but that kunai didn't spontaneously generate!_

"We need to—mmph!" The boy's mouth was promptly covered by a hand, sharp nails digging into his cheek.

"Silence!" Mikoto snapped as her brother frantically grasped at her arm, trying to rip it from his face.

Without warning, a trio of ninja burst from brush behind the two siblings, catching both off guard. Mikoto tripped in her surprise and ended up face down in the mud, and her brother jumped back in shock. Their shrieks were muffled by the sound of the rain.

Minato's Sharingan activated, and he readied himself to use a shadow shuriken technique, but there was no need, as lightning struck the ground very near where they stood with a bright light and a monstrous boom, blinding and deafening the two preteens momentarily.

A minute passed, and time seemed frozen. Abruptly, Mikoto scrambled to her feet and shook off the paralysis. She grabbed her brother by the arm, who was staring dazedly at the sky.

"Do you know what that was?!"

He blinked rapidly as he came back to life. "W-what?"

His sister's eyes were never opened more widely. "Look!" She waved a hand in the direction of where the lightning had struck. "It hit those ninja dead on!"

Indeed, the spot where the three had been standing was now a smoldering crater in the earth.

"It was just… lightning…"

"No! It had a shape to it, Minato!" she said enthusiastically. "It was a Kirin! I saw it!"

"Kirin…?"

"Only an Uchiha could create such an amazing show of power!"

Minato sighed. "We're the only Uchiha left… we can't do that."

Her eyes gleamed menacingly. "But our father could!"

"He's dead, Mikoto…"

"He isn't! You just saw his technique! Kirin!"

"Mikoto…" Sharingan faded from his eyes as he put an arm around his sister, who was now staring past him. "He is…"

Her breathing halted and her body visibly stiffened. "Min…"

"…dead… I know it's hard… but…"

"…look…"

"…there's nothing we can do…"

A finger wavered in the air. "L-look…"

"What?" The black-haired boy turned to face the gestured direction, and his arms dropped to their sides. His mouth fell open and his eyes were painfully widened.

The two children of Uchiha had never seen their father. They didn't know his chakra, his attitude, his personality. They didn't know the sound of his voice, but when this tall man before them with spiky black hair and strikingly familiar (and very bored looking) onyx eyes spoke, the realization was unanimous.

"Shinobi need to be aware at all times. Don't be so careless."

"…you are…" Minato's normally loud voice was no more than a whisper.

"As heirs to Uchiha, I expect more from you." A black cloak that draped his strong frame rustled in the wind.

"…Uchiha Sasuke…" Mikoto's breath remained strangled in her lungs.

Black eyes narrowed, and a deep scar across them became more evident. "I am no-one."

As he turned around to leave them there, Mikoto regained her composure and tossed herself forward. "FATHER!"

He stopped and half regarded her over his shoulder, his eyes sending chills through her body and rooting her to the spot.

_He's dangerous… Mikoto… get away from him…_ Minato remained deathly still for fear of this man. _I don't care even if he really is Sasuke… my father… but he could very well be an impostor…_

"P-please…" she stammered meekly. Her brother winced for her, just waiting for this man to send her flying across the forest.

"If you really are… Uchiha Sasuke… please show us…"

_Don't do it sister… oh god…_

"…Sharingan."

The dark figure turned his head away from them again, but did not move. "Forget about Sharingan."

"Show it to me." Her voice was suddenly stronger.

"Mikoto…" Minato murmured, though his sister did not hear him. Right now her focus was locked on the mystifying man before her.

"It's my right to know… they're my eyes too." On cue, the red bled into her irises.

Strangely enough, the figure remained there throughout the long silence that followed. The twins didn't dare move. The wind blew stronger, and thunder rumbled in the distance. The tension in the air was tangible.

"I've left my sword, Kusanagi, in Konoha. If you wish to seek me again, take it in hand and prove yourself."

His head snapped over his shoulder, and Sharingan spun like wheels in his eyes, glowing in the pseudo-darkness that shrouded the forest. "If you speak of my existence, you can forget about your eyes."

And with that, he disappeared, just as suddenly as he had appeared.

Rain continued to pound the twins as they gazed on.

Minato was sick to his stomach, and when he took a quick glance at his sister, who was completely awe-struck, it worsened exponentially.

_Mother is right… they are too alike for comfort._

------------x------------

A/N: No, I won't be writing a sequel to this. Like I said, I just wanted a full-circle ending. :)

Thanks again!

Tah tah for now!  
- diabolicalrat


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